National Accountability Bureau (NAB) updates

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LNG case: SHC approves protective bail for Miftah; NAB gets physical remand of Abbasi
Shafi Baloch | Naveed Siddiqui
July 19, 2019

PML-N leader Miftah Ismail on Friday submitted a bail application at the Sindh High Court (SHC). — DawnNewsTV
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday granted PML-N leader Miftah Ismail seven-day protective bail, a day after National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal signed his arrest warrants and dispatched teams in Karachi and Islamabad to take the former finance minister into custody.

Meanwhile, an accountability court in Islamabad granted NAB 13-day physical remand of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who was arrested on Thursday by a 12-member NAB team in the LNG (liquefied natural gas) import contract case.

Ismail granted protective bail

Ismail had submitted a bail application at the SHC early on Friday, a copy of which was received by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro's staff.

Advocate Haider Waheed, who appeared as Ismail's counsel, said that the case was based in Islamabad and requested protective bail so that the PML-N leader could contact the relevant court.

While accepting his application for bail, the SHC also asked Ismail to submit a surety bond worth Rs 500,000.

In an informal conversation with media, the PML-N leader said there was no need for NAB to conduct raids, adding that he had received the court's summons after 3pm yesterday. He said whenever the accountability bureau had summoned him, he had appeared before it.

A NAB team was at the SHC premises today, where Ismail and former managing director of Pakistan State Oil Sheikh Imranul Haque, for whom arrest warrants were also issued, appeared.

Abbasi's physical remand

Meanwhile, former premier Abbasi was presented before accountability judge Mohammad Bashir. NAB requested 14-day physical remand of the PML-N leader.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at an accountability court in Islamabad on Friday. — DawnNewsTV


During proceedings, Abbasi said: "They are seeking remand, give them remand."

"I have fully cooperated with NAB, but I was still arrested," he complained, adding: "I know why they are asking for remand."

The former prime minister asked the court to grant NAB 90-day physical remand. However, judge Bashir said that on the basis of the law, 90-day remand could not be granted in one go.

The court instead granted the accountability bureau 13-day remand of the former premier.

Abbasi arrested

Abbasi was arrested by a 12-member NAB team on Thursday.

The team had intercepted Abbasi’s car at Thokar Niaz Baig interchange in Lahore, close to the bureau’s provincial headquarters, when he was coming from Islamabad along with PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal and information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The leaders were heading to a press conference of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in Model Town.

The PML-N had termed the arrest to be the continuation of the 'worst political victimisation' at the behest of Prime Minister Imran Khan and said it would continue raising voice against the "inept PTI government’s anti-people policies" even if the "NAB-Niazi unholy alliance" put all PML-N leaders behind bars.

Hours after the arrest of the former premier, NAB officials had raided Ismail's residence in Karachi’s DHA but returned empty-handed as the former finance minister was not found at home.

Though there was no word from NAB officials about the motive behind the raid and its link with Abbasi’s arrest, a senior leader of the PML-N, Mohammad Zubair, said that personnel of the anti-graft watchdog had searched Miftah’s residence.

"I went to his [Miftah’s] house when I came to know that there were NAB officials outside the residence," Zubair told Dawn. "At around 6:30pm NAB officials with women personnel went inside his house and carried out a detailed search. He was not there. He has not been in contact with his family or any PML-N member as his phone has remained switched off since afternoon. We and his family are concerned about him and no one yet knows his whereabouts."

 

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Rs. 326 Billion Has Been Recovered from Corrupt Elements: Chairman NAB

Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (retd.) Javed Iqbal claims to have recovered as much as Rs. 326 billion from the corrupt elements of the country during his tenure.

He made these remarks after listening to complaints at an ‘Open Katchery’ at his office.

So far, NAB has made recoveries of ill-gotten money, including plea-bargains.

Directing the subordinates to resolve the complainants’ issues at the earliest, chairman NAB also ordered the Director Generals of regional offices to entertain people’s complaints at their respective offices every Thursday.

He said the anti-corruption watchdog was making sincere efforts to resolve the Mudarba and Musharka scandals and recover the looted money.

Chairman NAB said the bureau had arrested 43 suspects in the case and some of them have returned the money

 

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NAB prepares supplementary reference against Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur
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https://nation.com.pk/NewsSource/nni
NNI

6:56 PM | August 18, 2019



National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Sunday has prepared a supplementary reference against former president
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and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in case pertaining to mega money laundering.

Sources privy to the anti-graft watchdog said that the supplementary reference has been prepared in light of the investigation conducted from the former president and his sister by the NAB officials.

The sources further said that the accused would be indicted after filing the supplementary reference against them, while the statements of Asif

Zardari and Faryal Talpur and important evidence have also been made part of the reference.
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It is pertinent to mention that the mega money laundering case had been transferred to the anti-graft agency by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA).

The trial of the 30 people including the PPP co-chairman is being heard by the accountability court, while the Bureau had arrested Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur in the case.

 

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Nasser Abdulla Lootah becomes approver in money laundering case against Zardari
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https://nation.com.pk/NewsSource/web-desk
Web Desk

3:54 PM | August 19, 2019



The problems for former president Asif Ali Zardari worsen as Nasser Abdulla Hussain Lootah – the main accused named in the fake accounts case – has become an approver on Monday.
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The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has obtained important evidences from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizen who was allegedly involved in the money laundering and had been nominated in the reference.

The anti-corruption watchdog presented Nasser Abdulla before the Accountability Court (AC) and he recorded his statement under section 164 before Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Waseem Ahmed who was performing duty as the magistrate.

Nasser Abdulla Lootah stated that he had no connection with the alleged money laundering and Abdul Ghani Majid of the Omni Group misused his documents. He assured that he will completely cooperate with the anti-graft body in investigations.

The arrest warrants against Nasser Abdulla have been cancelled; however, the final decision on his plea to become the approver will be made by the NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal.
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Nasser Abdulla Hussain Lootah is the Chairman and Director of the Summit Bank.

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NAB claims major breakthrough in fake accounts case

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has claimed a major breakthrough in the fake accounts case against former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and others.

Sources have informed Geo News that Dubai resident and member of Summit Bank Board of Directors Nasser Abdulla Lootah has agreed to become an approver in the case. Further, after agreeing to become an approver, the arrest warrant for Nasser Abdullah Lootah has been suspended. Earlier, an accountability court in Islamabad extended the judicial remand of Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur till September 5 in the money laundering and fake bank accounts case.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is investigating more than 30 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July 2018 in connection with the probe.

The former president’s close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August 2018. Several ‘benami’ accounts at multiple private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources. The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribe

 

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September 02, 2019

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will not pursue income and sales tax cases against businessmen, the anti-graft body has announced.

In a press release posted on its website, the Bureau states that the business community and the bureaucracy have shown their complete confidence towards the body. “As NAB is a business friendly department and considers that business community the backbone of the development of Pakistan, that is why the chairman NAB has decided that in future the organisation will not initiate cases related to sales tax and income tax,” the statement read.

The NAB chairman, it further added, has assured the business community that the self-respect of every person will be ensured and ample opportunity will be provided to the bureaucracy and other people to prove their innocence.

The press release also revealed that a memorandum of understanding has been inked between Pakistan and China to ensure transparency in the projects falling under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Further hailing the Bureau’s performance, the statements added that from 2018 to 2019 the NAB has recovered Rs71 billion.

“Today, more than 1,210 corruption references of NAB are under trial in accountability courts of the country. Chairman NAB has ordered filing of early hearing pleas in various accountability courts, so that Rs900 billion could be recovered from corrupt elements and deposited in the national exchequer.”

Commenting on the internal mechanism of the anti-corruption organisation, the NAB said it has prescribed a 10-months’ timeframe to conclude corruption cases, adding that it has also devised a grading mechanism to evaluate the annual performance of its employees.

“Positive results of grading system are already pouring in,” it said.

 

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NAB to initiate inquiries against Sharjeel Memon, Babar Ghauri

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Board (EB) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Friday approved filing another reference against ex-provincial minister and PPP’s member of Sindh Assembly Sharjeel Memon allegedly for misusing authority for accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

The Executive Board also approved holding of inquiries against ex-federal minister Babar Ghauri, PML-N Senator Kalsum Parveen, Fawad Hassan Fawad, Syed Owais Shah, who is nephew of senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah, MPAs from Sindh Saeed Khan Nizamani and Qaisar Abbass Magsi. The NAB also approved inquiry into construction of new Islamabad Airport as it will launch a probe against senior officials of the Civil Aviation Authority, M/s Lagan-Technical and Husnain Construction. The NAB ED held its meeting under Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal in which approval for filing three corruption references and 12 inquiries were given. The NAB EB approved filing a reference against former managing director of Pakistan State Oil Irfan Khalil Qureshi for misuse of authority for illegal supply of oil to different petroleum companies that caused a loss of over Rs 525 million to the national exchequer. During the meeting, NAB chairman directed to avoid investigation of sales and income tax related issues and send those investigations to Federal Bureau of Revenue.

Meanwhile, the NAB EB approved filing of corruption reference against Abdul Hameed and others for allegedly misusing authority for illegally awarding a construction contract that caused a loss of billions of rupees to national exchequer. The NAB EB authorised conducting 12 inquiries against Babar Khan Ghauri, former minister, officers, officials of Port Qasim Authority, Karachi and others, officers, officials, others of Capital Development Authority, officers, officials of Civil Aviation Authority and messers Lagan Technical Hasnain J, Air Side Infrastructure, new Islamabad Airport, Sajjad Munir, DDLG, Shahzad Munir, former Nazim Shakargarh, Vice Chairman District Council Narowal and others, Fawad Hassan Fawad, officers, officials, others of Port Qasim Authority, Karachi, Shakil Ahmed, Managing Director Education Employees Foundation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and others, Senator Kulsoom Parveen, Syed Awais Shah, MPA from Sukkur, Zabardast Khan Mehar and others, Ali Ghulam Nizamani, former member Sindh Assembly, Saeed Khan Nizamani, MPA Sindh, Haji Khan Armani, employee of Revenue Department and others, Qaiser Abbas Magsi, MPA from Sindh, Jam Aftab, former assistant commissioner, Chobara, Imtiaz Hussain Shahm, fomer Registry Moharar, Bashir Ahmed and others, Khizar Hayat, Sessions judge, Kabirwala, Khaniwal and others.

The NAB EB authorised conducting investigations against Kashif Alif Khan and others. The NAB EB also authorised sending the cases of officials, officers of PMDC to PMDC for further action. The EB approved sending cases of officers, officials of Mapco to Ministry of Energy for further action. It also accorded approval of sending cases of Amjad Ali, former chief secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Communication and Works Department and Irrigation Department officers and others, officers and officials of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar and others, to KP chief secretary as per rules.

The NAB EB also okayed sending the case of Ghulam Hussain Sachrvi and others to Federal Board of Revenue as per law. The NAB also accorded approval of sending the cases of officers, officials of MTI Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar to Anti-Corruption Establishment, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for further legal action.

It authorized closing inquiries against Sheikh Muhammad Yousaf and others, officers, officials of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Punjab, and others, management, officers, officials of Punjab Mineral Company and others, Farooq Nazir, former IG Jail, Punjab, and others, Forest Department, Hyderabad, Sindh, Bashir Dawood, Maryam Dawood and others, Absar Nabi, fomer principal executive officer, Pakistan Steel Mills and others, officers, officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Accountability Commission, Syed Yasin Shah, sub engineer, Provincial Highway Sub Division, Khairpur, Agha Muhammad Pathan, contractor and others, Syed Nusrat Shaukat and others owing to absence of evidence.

The NAB EB meeting authorised closing investigations against Dr Joseph Wilson, Acting Chairman Competition Commission of Pakistan, Rana Mustafa Yousaf, former Principal Staff Officer, Director Chairman Secretariat, CCP, and others, Jam Ghulam Qadir Dherajo and others as per law and owing to absence of evidence.

Addressing the meeting of the Executive Board, NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said the bureau is strictly pursuing the policy of ‘Accountability for All’ and striving hard to recover the looted money. He said taking logical conclusion to mega corruption cases is priority of the bureau and all resources are being utilised to achieve the target.

He said NAB has deposited record Rs71 billion in the national exchequer in last 22 months which have been recovered directly or indirectly from the corrupt elements. ”Faith of NAB is corruption-free Pakistan. Business community is the backbone of country’s development. NAB has established special cells at the NAB headquarters and all regional offices to resolve issues of business community. The cells are working regularly,” he said. He said the NAB is a national institute and its corruption elimination efforts have already been acknowledged by national and international agencies. It is to be mentioned here that President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry Engineer Dawood Khan Achakzai had thanked the NAB chairman for resolving the issues of business community.

 

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Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah summoned by NAB in graft probe

September 16, 2019

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has been summoned by the Combined Investigation Team of NAB, a source said. — DawnNewsTV/File
After being questioned in the fake accounts case earlier this year, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has been summoned again by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday to question him regarding his alleged role in offering subsidies to sugar mills through improper channels, sources and officials said on Monday.

A NAB official confirmed that the anti-graft body has summoned the provincial chief executive in Karachi for Tuesday morning but did not divulge further details.

Shah had earlier appeared before the Supreme Court-formed joint investigation team (JIT) in Islamabad which was probing the money laundering and fake bank accounts case involving transactions worth billions of rupees. The top leadership of the PPP is alleged to be among the beneficiaries of the fake accounts.

A source familiar with the proceedings of the JIT told Dawn that when the issue of provision of subsidies to four to five sugar mills came under discussion, there was a divergence of opinion among the team members. Some members of the JIT contended that this was beyond their mandate as the JIT was supposed to probe the fake bank accounts only.

It was subsequently agreed that NAB would separately conduct a probe into the sugar mills. Therefore, the anti-graft body established a combined investigation team (CIT) led by NAB Rawalpindi Director General Irfan Mangi.

It is the NAB CIT which has summoned the Sindh chief minister tomorrow, the source said.

Regarding the case, the source revealed that when Shah was the Sindh finance minister, subsidies were given to certain sugar mills including "closed" Thatta Sugar Mills, Dadu Sugar Mills, etc.

One of the stated purposes of such subsidies was to "revive sick industrial units" but that money was allegedly not utilised for the intended purposes.

Another official said that the Sindh chief minister was also facing a probe by NAB in the Nooriabad power project case in which three people were already arrested in May. They included Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company Chairman Khursheed Jamali, CEO M/S Technomen Kinetic Pvt Ltd Syed Asif Mahmood and Director Nooriabad Power Company Syed Arif Ali.

According to NAB, they were arrested for extending illegal favours to M/S Technomen Kinetic Pvt Ltd and others in projects of Sindh Nooriabad Power Company and Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company (STDC), and causing a $16 million loss to the national exchequer.

The Nooriabad power project was originally conceived by the Sindh government in 2012, but could not be materialised then due to "red-tapism and delays in regulatory approvals".

The project was finally launched in August 2014 under a public-private partnership at a cost of Rs13bn in which the Sindh government held 49 per cent shares and a private company owned 51pc. A 95km long, 132kV double-circuit transmission line was laid from Nooriabad to Karachi at a cost of Rs1.95bn.

SECMC Chairman Jamali, who was then director Sindh Nooriabad Power Company Ltd, said in 2017 that the plant would use gas to produce 100MW of power at less than Rs10 per unit, as compared to the Rs15 per unit charged by the Water and Power Development Authority.

Earlier this year, the Sindh cabinet was informed that the power plant had earned a profit of Rs6.62bn.

 

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PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah arrested by NAB

September 18, 2019

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah in a case regarding his alleged assets beyond means, sources in the accountability bureau said.

The PPP stalwart was arrested in a joint operation by NAB's Rawalpindi and Sukkur chapters, DawnNewsTV reported.

Who is Khursheed Shah?

Born in 1952, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah hails from Sindh’s Sukkur region, which he went on to represent as an MPA and later as MNA. He studied at Sukkur’s Islamia College and obtained the degrees of MA and LLB.

He was elected to the Sindh Assembly in 1988 during which he was made a provincial minister holding a wide range of portfolios – education, import and transport being some of them. He made his way to the parliament in 1990.

Shah also served as a federal minister for education in 1993, during slain PPP leader, Benazir Bhutto's second government. In 2008, he was elected from NA-199 (Sukkur cum Shikarpur-II), PPP and became minister for labour and human resources. He was made the federal minister for religious affairs in 2010.

In 2013, he was elected from NA-199 (Sukkur-cum-Shikarpur-II), PPP and became the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

He was elected to the National Assembly once again in 2018, as he won NA-206 (Sukkur-1) and was the opposition's joint nominee for speaker's position.

Shah enjoys an influential position in the PPP and was its chief whip in the 2008-2013 National Assembly. He is considered a trouble-shooter as far as relations with other parties are concerned, mainly on account of his good connections with all political parties.

 

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NAB has recovered Rs71bn in 22 months, says chairman

September 21, 2019

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal. — APP/File
ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal on Friday reviewed the performance of the operation wing of the anti-graft watchdog and said the bureau had recovered Rs71 billion over the last 22 months.

“Comparative figures of the last 22 months are also indicative of NAB’s excellent performance as the bureau has recovered and deposited Rs71 billion in the national exchequer which is a record achievement,” the NAB chairman said while presiding over a meeting.

A NAB spokesman quoted the NAB chairman as saying that the bureau was committed to eradicating corruption by adopting “Accountability for All” policy with iron hands.

Calls for an effective national anti-corruption strategy

The chairman said that NAB wanted to uproot corruption through an effective national anti-corruption strategy and it was focusing mainly on white-collar crimes.

He said that figures of complaints, inquiries and investigations recorded this year almost doubled as compared to those of the last year.

NAB, he said, had also filed 600 corruption cases in respective accountability courts over the last 22 months, which were under trial.

“Reputed national and international organisations such as Transparency International, World Economic Forum, Pildat and Mishal Pakistan have appreciated NAB’s efforts to eradicate corruption from society. According to Gillani Research Foundation and Gallup Survey, 59 per cent of people have shown confidence in NAB,” he added.

Justice Iqbal said that NAB had introduced a new concept of combined investigation team (CIT) to benefit from the experience and collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers. The CIT is consisted of a director, an additional director, an investigation officer and a senior legal counsel.

“This is not only lending quality to work but also ensuring that no single individual influences official proceedings of NAB,” he added.

The NAB chief said that the bureau had established a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory in its Rawalpindi office, which had facilities of digital forensics, documents and fingerprint analysis and these facilities were further improving quality of inquiry and investigation in all respect.

He said that due to prescribed timeline of 10 months for efficient, effective and expeditious disposal of cases from complaint verification to inquiry-to-investigation and finally to a reference in an accountability court, NAB had devised a comprehensive quantified grading system to further improve the performance of NAB headquarters and all regional bureaus.

“Under the quantified grading system, NAB headquarters and regional bureaus are being evaluated on mid-term and annual basis at given criteria, which has proved very successful and the performance of NAB regional bureaus was getting increased day by day due to regular monitoring and inspections,” he said

Justice Iqbal said that NAB had signed an MoU with China to oversee China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects being executed in the country.

He said that as the youth were future of the country, NAB had signed an MoU with Higher Education Commission to make them aware of ill-effects of corruption at an early age.

“More than 50,000 character-building societies have been established in colleges and universities of the country,” he added.

The NAB chief directed all officials of the anti-graft watchdog to conduct complaint verifications, inquiries and investigations within the prescribed time so that all mega-corruption cases could be brought to their logical conclusion as per law.

 

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NAB okays fresh probe against Shahbaz in Auqaf dept case

September 26, 2019

File
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday approved a fresh inquiry against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and summoned former planning and development minister Ahsan Iqbal in a separate case on Thursday.

The decision to initiate the inquiry against Mr Sharif was taken in NAB’s Executive Board Meeting (EBM), presided over by bureau’s chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

According to a NAB official, the fresh inquiry against opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, who is also president of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), related to his alleged involvement in corruption in the Auqaf department when he was chief minister of Punjab.

Mr Sharif is also facing some other NAB cases.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal was summoned by NAB in a case relating to the establishment of Sports City in his hometown of Narowal. He is accused of utilising resources of the federal government and the Pakistan Sports Board for establishing sports facilities in his home town in Punjab.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Iqbal said that NAB had given him a questionnaire regarding the establishment of the Sports City in Narowal and he had replied to that, but he had been asked to submit another document which he would provide to the bureau on Thursday. “It is a false case,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the EBM also approved the filing of two separate references against different accused, involving an amount of over Rs25 billion.

The first reference was approved against Dr Mohammad Amjad, head of a private housing scheme called Eden Housing Society, and his associates. They are accused of cheating people in the course of selling of plots of the society. The estimated loss borne by the people because of the scam was said to be Rs25bn.

The second reference will be filed in an accountability court against the owner of a private firm — Karim Karobar Company, Karachi — for selling substandard wheat at exorbitant rates, causing a loss of Rs80 million to the national exchequer.

The EBM authorised five investigations against the owners of a private firm — Nirala M.S.R Foods, Lahore —, officials of Mian Rashid Hussain Shaheed Memorial Hospital, officials of the Frontier Constabulary, the management of Metro Corporation of Quetta and former secretary of mines and minerals of Balochistan Maqbol Ahmed.

The meeting also approved seven different inquiries against Shahbaz Sharif, former MPA of Punjab Mohsin Latif, MPA of Sindh Hassan Zardari, former deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly Sher Ali Gorchani, chief engineer of Pak-PWD, Gilgit-Baltistan, Rashid Ahmed, MPA of Punjab Mohammad Tahir Pervez, Kashif Sehbai and Ahsan Sehbai of Shaheen International and some officials of the Auqaf Department, Lahore Development Authority, Federal Board of Revenue Civil Aviation Authority and revenue department.

 

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NAB chairman addresses traders, industrialists to reassure them about concerns
October 03, 2019

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal addressing traders and manufacturers.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal on Thursday addressed traders and manufacturers in Lahore to reassure them that the watchdog is acting on their complaints and will not be a cause for disruption in their businesses.

Defending the watchdog's actions in the recent part, Iqbal said NAB has never liked to overstep its jurisdiction and that the reason for it being 'over active' was because the authority had received a lot of money laundering cases from the country's top court.

"I am presenting myself to you for my own accountability. Review the past two years and tell me at what stage and what mistakes we made," he said, stating that the bureau had not taken on any tax evasion cases against businesses, referring them to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) instead.

Iqbal said that when he took over as NAB chairman in October 2017, he had asked for a list of all cases taken up previously, adding that he had already assured traders that tax evasion cases would be taken back.

However, the NAB chief made it clear that there was a big difference between money laundering and tax evasion.

"If they [ongoing cases against business owners] solely concerned tax evasion, they would not come to us from various courts," he said as he explained why NAB was pursuing some businesses.

The NAB chairman assured the traders that the next time they invited him, there would be no tax evasion cases with the bureau, adding that all such cases would be referred to the FBR instead.

Additionally, he said that NAB had never interfered with bank default cases unless a bank had referred them to the authority, which he said happens when their settlement negotiations with parties in a case are unsuccessful.

Panama cases

With regards to Panama Papers cases, the NAB chairman said they remain active. However, in the instance of certain cases, information and records from foreign countries had been received more quickly than others, therefore, they had been expedited.

Iqbal then turned to an impassioned appeal to defend NAB's actions, reminding his audience that every person was first answerable before God and then before their own conscience.

"Do you think that after 35 years of judicial service, I would take any step that is for anyone's pleasure?" he asked. He said his first loyalty was to God, and then towards Pakistan and its people.

"If anyone of you thinks that NAB is affiliated with the current government, this is one hundred per cent an incorrect impression."

Iqbal said that the citizenry never believed that "certain people", in what seemed to be a reference to major political leaders currently embroiled in NAB cases, would today be in NAB custody, be answering NAB's questions or facing the courts.

"NAB should be given the credit it deserves," he said.

Plea bargain and approvers

Discussing plea bargains, the NAB chairman said: "Till I don't approve it, there can be no plea bargain."

Additionally, Iqbal said that he decides when an individual is allowed to turn into an approver. He said that either the approvers come to Islamabad or he goes to them. They are first asked if there was any force or illegal incentive for them to be made an approver, after which they check if they were in their senses when they made the statement, which is then is read out to them.

 

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NAB granted 14-day physical remand of Nawaz Sharif in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case
October 11, 2019

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif being taken to an accountability court in Lahore. — DawnNewsTV

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was presented before an accountability court on Friday. — DawnNewsTV

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was presented before an accountability court on Friday. — Photo by Adnan Sheikh

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday obtained 14-day physical remand of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

The court ordered the accountability bureau to present Nawaz on October 25.

Sharif had been arrested earlier in the day by NAB from Kot Lakhpat jail and presented before an accountability court in Lahore.

Members of the Sharif family are accused of being involved in money laundering under the garb of sale/purchase of Chaudhry Sugar Mills Ltd shares.

NAB has accused Nawaz of being a direct beneficiary of CSM and his daughter, Maryam — who was arrested in connection with the case in August along with her cousin Yousuf Abbas — of holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills.

A source had earlier revealed that in January 2018, the then PML-N government’s financial monitoring unit had reported to NAB a large suspicious transaction involving billions of rupees in Chaudhry Sugar Mills.

The CSM reference is the latest in a series of court cases involving the former prime minister. The saga began with his ouster from office in 2017 through the Panama Papers verdict to his convictions in two subsequent corruption references involving the Al Azizia Steel Mills and the Avenfield Apartments.

A NAB team, after taking the former premier into custody today from Kot Lakhpat jail — where he has been serving a seven-year sentence after being found guilty in the Al Azizia reference — brought him to an accountability court in Lahore to secure a 15-day physical remand.

Judge Chaudhry Ameer Muhammad Khan questioned where Nawaz was, after which he appeared on the rostrum.

During proceedings, which were disrupted by party workers attempting to take pictures with the former premier, NAB prosecutor Hafiz Asadullah Awan alleged that in 2016, Nawaz had been the largest shareholder in CSM and had retained his shareholding in Chaudhry Sugar Mills as well as in Shamim Sugar Mills.

The NAB prosecutor had further alleged that Maryam, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and other Sharif family members had also been shareholders in CSM.

He had stated that CSM's bank accounts had received foreign funds, adding that in 1992 one foreign company alone had provided Nawaz with Rs55.5 million. Awan said that they still do not know who the owner of this foreign company is.

After the NAB prosecutor concluded his statements, Nawaz's counsel, Advocate Amjad Pervez, denied that his client had ever been a shareholder or director in CSM.

"This is not the first time that Nawaz Sharif's assets are under scrutiny," he said, adding that opposing governments had previously also investigated the formation of the companies, but nothing was found.

He further said Nawaz had no role in the formation of CSM.

According to Pervez, all of Nawaz's children had instead been directors and shareholders in the sugar mill. "For 30 years, Nawaz has declared his assets," he said.

Pervez said that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had already investigated all the issues, after which NAB had filed a reference in Islamabad.

"There is no justification for another investigation; this is a fake case," he said.

He also argued that there was no need for the court to give NAB physical remand of the former premier and alleged that his client had been wrongfully arrested.

"NAB's dishonesty in the case is evident and this is just one more case being formed on political grounds," said Pervez.

He also described NAB's "disclosures" in the CSM case as "baseless".

Nawaz's noted that said his client was already in prison and if NAB had wanted to conduct an investigation, they could have simply visited him in his cell.

"Nawaz Sharif is serving his sentence after a trial and his arrest is not as per the law. Nawaz should not be handed over to the agency on physical remand for even an hour," he argued.

He had further pleaded that Nawaz be discharged in the CSM case.

Nawaz's statement in court
In his statement before the court, the former premier said NAB officials had visited him only once in jail and he had answered all questions he could, adding that he had not shared information which he did not have knowledge of.

Nawaz said that he had requested to meet his lawyer and alleged that he was not permitted to do so.

"The allegations being made against me are fake. NAB is conducting an investigation on declared assets," he said.

He said that NAB officials had come and stated the grounds for the arrest.

"The allegations that have been made are baseless. Our name was in 32 industries, tell us where there was corruption."

Nawaz said that he had been a minister as well as the prime minister three times and said that if corruption was proven during these time periods he would withdraw not just from the case, but from politics.

"[Former dictator retired Gen Pervez] Musharraf created NAB for me. Musharraf had only one target which was Nawaz Sharif. NAB is only being used against PML-N and the opposition."

"I am already in jail, if there is such an enmity [with me] tell me where they want to take me."

"If they think that PML-N will panic and bow [to pressure], this will never happen."

As Nawaz presented his statement, supporters chanted slogans in the courtroom. The judge told him only to speak about the case.

City braces
Ahead of the former premier's appearance, routes leading to the accountability court had been closed.

A large number of party workers also gathered outside the court ahead of former premier Nawaz Sharif's appearance. — DawnNewsTV


The PML-N leadership — including spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, PML-N senator Asif Kirmani, Nawaz's son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, Pervaiz Rasheed, and Ameer Muqam — and a large number of party workers had gathered outside the court in a show of support.

Earlier NAB references
Nawaz is currently serving a seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case at Kot Lakhpat jail, which was handed to him in December 2018. The same court which pronounced the verdict had acquitted Nawaz in a second reference related to Flagship Investments.

The reference pertained to the Sharifs being unable to justify the source of the funds provided to set up Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment (HME) in Saudi Arabia, making it a case of owning assets beyond means.

Earlier, in July 2018, Sharif had been handed a 10-year sentence in the Avenfield properties corruption reference.

Nawaz was convicted under NAO 1999 9(a)(v), which states: "A holder of a public office, or any other person, is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices [...] if he or any of his dependents or benamidar owns, possesses, or has acquired right or title in any assets or holds irrevocable power of attorney in respect of any assets or pecuniary resources disproportionate to his known sources of income, which he cannot reasonably account for or maintains a standard of living beyond that which is commensurate with his sources of income."

The sentence, however, has since been suspended by the Islamabad High Court and is pending its decision in the matter.

Additional reporting by Muhammad Taimoor and Ali Waqar