Islamabad - The Executive Board Meeting (EBM) of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) yesterday decided to authorise three investigations and one inquiry in Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) scam while it also authorised four other investigations and two inquiries.
The EBM also approved voluntary return request of Qasim Zia, ex-MPA PPP, with interim liability of Rs 19.48 million.
In a case against former chairman ETPB Asif Hashmi, management of Evacuee Trust Property Board and others, the EBM decided to authorise three investigations; an illegal investment of Rs 985.56 million with M/s High Links Capital (Pvt);  appointments, promotions, illegal regularisation and allied maters; and illegal allotment of plots to ETPB employees.
The EMB decided to authorise an inquiry for alleged illegal appointments in ETPB in violation of rules. Instead of sanctioned strength of 180 employees, 716 illegal appointments were made. Thereby a loss of Rs 399,083 million was caused to the national exchequer.
The EBM authorised investigation against Mian Masood Akhtar, former superintendent engineer, Pak PWD, Rana Saleem Akhtar, former XEN (Q/S), Ch Hassan Akhtar, former XEN, and others. In this case, the accused were alleged for embezzlement of Rs 105 million in execution of work “construction and rehabilitation of carpet metalled road Danday Wala Pull, Jhang Road, to Danghroo Pull, Faisalabad” of NA-81 Faisalabad having total cost of the project amounting to Rs 805 million.
The EBM authorised investigation against M/S Fateh Textile Mills and others namely Gohar Ullah, Director M/s Fateh Textile Mills Ltd (FTML), Muhammad Saleem, Director (FTML), and others. In this case, the accused persons were alleged for illegal excavation of coal from Lakhra, district Jamshoro, Sindh. This caused a loss of Rs 2.241 billion to the national exchequer.
The EBM authorised investigation against officials of Provincial Reserve Centre (PRC) Sariab Road, Quetta, and others namely Asfand Yar Kakar, ex-minister food Balochistan, Ali Bakhah Baloch, ex-secretary food Balochistan, Zahir Jan Jamaldini, ex-deputy director food, and Shakar Khan and others. In this case, the accused were alleged for misuse of authority and embezzlement of government wheat bags from PRC Sariab Road, Quetta, and causing a loss of Rs 1525.012 million to the national exchequer.
The EBM also authorised investigation against Syed Masoom Shah, special assistant to ex-CM Khyber Paktunkhawa. In this case, the accused person is alleged for corruption and accumulation of assets disproportionate to known sources of income.
The executive board meeting decided to authorize two inquiries. The first inquiry was authorised against Syed Nusrat Shaukat and others. In this case, the accused persons in connivance with other people (Benamidars) were looting millions of rupees through financial institutions in suspicious manners covered under Section 9(a) of NAO, 1999. Thus they caused a loss of Rs 5,000 million to national exchequer.
The second inquiry was authorised against Sheikh Arif Elahi, chairman National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), and others. In this case, the accused were alleged for corruption and corrupt practices.
The executive board meeting decided to re-authorise inquiry against officials of information and archives department, government of Sindh, and others.
In this case, the accused were alleged for misuse of authority and embezzlement of funds from advertisement budget and causing loss of Rs 5.875 billion to the national exchequer. In this case, the EBM approved the voluntary return requests of Fawad Alam, director M/s Value Added Marketing Services Pvt Ltd Karachi for an amount of Rs 71.292 million and Abdul Qadir Shah, chief executive officer M/s Connect Marketing Communication Pvt Ltd, Karachi, for an amount of Rs 74.4 million.