ISLAMABAD: The National Account­ability Bureau (NAB) approved on Friday initiation of a fresh corruption reference against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the eighth one to be faced by him.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the NAB’s executive board presided over by the bureau’s chairman, Qamar Zaman Chaudhry.

At the meeting several decisions were taken regarding sensitive issues, including a complaint filed against Mir Munawar Talpur, a sitting legislator and brother-in-law of former president Asif Ali Zardari.

According to a NAB spokesman, the board decided to verify the complaint in which Mr Talpur has been accused of misusing authority and misappropriating public funds.

However, a case against former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao was dropped due to lack of incriminating evidence.

According to NAB spokesman Nawazish Ali Asim, the meeting decided that a corruption reference would be filed against Pervez Ashraf, Shahid Rafi, former water and power secretary, Fayyaz Elahi, former managing director of the Pakistan Private Investment Board, Fayyaz Ahmed Khan, former managing director of the Pakistan Electric and Power Company (Pepco), Tahir Basharat Cheema, former managing director of Pepco, and others in the case of Rental Power Project (RPP) Naudero-I.

In the case, the government functionaries and officials have been accused of illegally awarding a 51MW RPP contract to the US-based Walters Power International in 2009 without competitive bidding and on terms and conditions favourable to the sponsors in violation of RPP rules, the National Electric Power Regulator Authority Act and Rental Services Contract at considerable cost to the national exchequer.

Mr Ashraf has already been facing seven references that relate to the other RPPs and to appointment of former chief of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority Tauqeer Sadiq.

In one of the references he has been accused of appointing his son-in-law Azeemul Haq, who worked at the Employees Old-age Benefits Institution, to a position at the World Bank in violation of rules and regulations.

The meeting also authorised investigations against Mohammad Naeem Khan, former chief of the food department in Pishin, and others for alleged embezzlement of 237,458 wheat bags worth Rs718 million.

The meeting authorised six different inquiries — the first one against Sindh Chief Secretary Mohammad Siddique Memon and other officers of the Sindh Board of Land and Revenue Department. In this case, Siddique Memon was accused of allotting land in Deh Bitti Aamri, Scheme-33, Karachi, by tempering with documents causing loss of millions to the national kitty.

The second inquiry will be conducted against Haroon Khan, former executive engineer of the Punjab irrigation department, for alleged misappropriation and corruption of millions in construction of Bahri Randyali, Chakori and Lala Musa flood bunds and remodelling of Kalra Drain, Dera Munawar, and awarding tenders in violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules on high rates to his favourite contractors in the name of emergency and without public auction.

The third inquiry was authorised against Liaquat Durrani, President/Managing Director of the Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank, and others for alleged corruption, misuse of authority and loan default. The NAB has estimated that in this case the exchequer suffered a loss of Rs860m.

The fourth inquiry was approved against Faisal Masroor Siddiqui, a businessman. In this case, Faisal Masroor was accused of illegally acquiring government-owned land.

The fifth case was authorised against Babar Chughtai, former chairman of the Agency of Barani Area Development/builder. In this case he and others were accused of illegally acquiring government land by paying bribe and misusing authority.

The sixth inquiry was authorised against Riffat Yazdan Siddiqui, owner of a private firm, M-Cube Karachi, for wilful default of Rs71.3m.

The meeting decided to close investigations against Adil Javed Mansoor, former chairman of the Allied Commercial Cooperative Corporation Limited, and others. The meeting decided to send the matter to Punjab Cooperative Board for liquidation of his property.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2015

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