Illegal award of contracts: NAB KP arrests ex-chairman WWB, others

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday arrested Aizaz-ur-Rehman, former chairman Workers Welfare Board (WWB), Muhammad Ibrar Hussain, Director Finance (BPS-19) WWB, Muhammad Imran Wazir, ex-director Finance (BPS-19) WWB, presently working as Director Finance Provincial Housing Authority (PHA), Muhammad Akbar Awan, owner of M/s Ashraf Enterprises and Irfan Qureshi allegedly involved in illegal award of contracts for the procurement of equipment.
The WWB KP has allegedly purchased generators, vacuum cleaners, first aid box, fans, fibre glass rooms, etc through fake and non-registered firms at highly exorbitant rates of worth more than Rs 3.5 billion approximately and causing huge loss to state exchequer on account of short and substandard supply. During the course of investigation it was revealed that the accused Aizaz-ur-Rehman, former chairman WWB KP and Secretary Labor with malafide intention delegated all his administrative and financial powers to the prime accused Tariq Awan, then secretary Workers Welfare Board thus illegally handing him over all affairs of the board.
He in connivance with other accused persons opened hidden bank account and used it for their illegal activities. All the illegal payments to fake firms were made through this account. Similarly, accused Imran Khan, Muhammad Abrar both remained Director Finance WWB worked in connivance with other accused persons issued cheques for payments to the fraudulent contractors without any due diligence thus willfully failed to exercise their authority in order prevent loss to national exchequer. Arsalan Qureshi and accused Muhammad Akbar Awan, illegally secured contracts of equipment on highly exorbitant rates, through active connivance of the WWB officials.