October 24, 2003	Friday	Sha’aban 27, 1424

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LAHORE, Oct 23: Cooperatives Minister Malik Muhammad Anwar said here on Thursday that over Rs8.25 billion was still payable to the people affected by the cooperatives scam, and the government had set a two-year target to clear all payments.

The minister was speaking during the question hour in the Punjab Assembly. He was prepared for the question hour and remained unprovoked despite some pointed questions of the opposition particularly Rana Sanaullah Khan on “NAB’s share” in the money recovered from officials of the defunct cooperative societies.

He said the total number of affected people was 266,606, who owed Rs13.17 billion to the defunct cooperative corporations. So far Rs4.918 billion had been paid as per a Lahore High Court schedule. Around 62,776 depositors had not received any amount and no claim was filed against 12 corporations.

He said the money was being recovered from the defunct corporations through auction of their property. Many directors of these corporations had been convicted by accountability courts.

Replying to a supplementary question asked by Ehsanullah Waqas, the minister said there was no record of the Habib Industrial Cooperative Corporation, but still action would be taken if any complaint was lodged against it.

He said the government was amending the cooperatives law to make the cooperative bodies more effective. He said recoveries were also being made from Chaudhry Tajammal’s corporation and legal action taken against him.

When Mr Waqas inquired about any effort to ensure return of the former cooperatives secretary, Sarosh Sultan, to the country, the minister said the government was trying to secure the return of all absconders.

At this stage, Rana Sana asked how much money the NAB was deducting as its share out of the recoveries made from the cooperatives. He continued to press the point despite minister’s advice that a fresh question be put forward for the purpose. He said he wanted to know whether the NAB had allowed any concession in this case, as money of the poor was involved.

The minister said everything was being done according to the law, under which customs or police officials were given rewards in case of recoveries. The NAB was performing a noble duty whereas the previous governments had not bothered to provide any relief to coop scam victims, he added.

Rana said police could not take a share from the recovered property, and were given rewards out of the amount fixed by the government for a specific purpose. “The NAB has been performing well. As a result, those who stole Rs50 are in jail and those who stole Rs5 billion are federal ministers.”

The minister parried another question of the opposition members about Forex companies on grounds that it was a federal subject.