BAHAWALPUR: District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Rashid Qamar on Tuesday referred the 'loan scheme fraud' case to the National Accountability Bureau for a legal action against Bank of Punjab and officials of a Quetta-based NGO -- Society for Community Development.

The judge took the action on a petition filed by Munawar Husain. The petitioner had levelled corruption allegations against the bank and the NGO for publishing an advertisement in an Urdu daily, inviting applications for loans.

In his orders, the judge said the bank and the NGO indulged in the business of interest-free loan without prior permission of the State Bank of Pakistan and prima facie committed an illegal act.

Referring the case to NAB, he said if its chairman observed that the matter did not fall in its purview, the case would be referred to the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment.