The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday decided to file a corruption reference against former information minister Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon on the allegations of having assets beyond known sources of income, besides initiating corruption inquiries against former minister Babar Ghauri and Senator Kalsoom Perven.
An official said that decision to file corruption reference against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Memon and start inquiries against former minister for ports and shipping Ghauri and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Kasoom Pervan was taken in NAB Executive Board Meeting (EBM), which was presided over by NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqabl (retd).
He said EBM authorized filing of three corruption references in the accountability courts, initiation of 12 inquiries and conducting a corruption investigation. According to the official, the EBM okayed filing of reference against PPP leader Memon and others for possessing assets beyond known source of income.
Official said that Memon being a public office-holder - former minister for information and archives, local government and work and services department of Sindh - in his aforesaid capacities allegedly committed an offence of corruption and corrupt practices as defined in section 9(v) of NAO 1999 and "he possess or his dependents or Benamidars have acquired right or title to assets or hold irrevocable powers of properties."
He said the bureau authorised another reference against former managing director (MD) Pakistan States Oil (PSO) Irfan Khalil Qureshi and others on the allegation of misuse of power and supply of oil to petroleum companies which incurred losses of Rs 552 million to national exchequer.
The official said NAB decided to file another reference against Abdul Majeed and others on allegation of misuse of power and award of illegal contracts which incurred huge losses to the national exchequer.
The NAB EBM has also ordered to start corruption inquiries against former minister Baber Ghauri and other officials, Senator Kalsoom Perven, Fawad Hassan Fawad, MPA Sindh Assembly Syed Awais Shah, former MPA Ali Ghulam Nizami, MPA Sindh Assembly Saeed Khan Nizami, officers of Capital Development Authority (CDA), officers and officials of Civil Aviation Authority (CCA), former Nazim Shakargarh Shehzad Muneer, vice-chairman District Council Narowal and others, MD Education Employees Foundation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shakeel Ahmed and others. He said NAB also decided to start investigations against one Kashif Ullah Khan and others.
The official said the meeting referred some cases to relevant authorities after NAB was asked recently by the federal government to deal only with mega corruption cases.
He said that bureau referred the case against officers and officials of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to PMDC, referred a case against Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) officers and officials to Ministry of Power, referred a case against former secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Communication and Works Department Amjad Ali, referred a case against officer and official of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar to Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and referred a case against Ghulam Hussain to Federal Board of Revenue for taking action under the law. The meeting was informed that during the last 22 months NAB has recovered Rs 71 billion from corrupt elements, he said.
The chairman NAB said the NAB had set up special cells at headquarters and regional offices of the bureau for solution of problems of business community. The bureau has decided not to pursue income and sales tax cases against businessmen and would send them to FBR.