LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday declared pro forma of an undertaking being taken from the affected people of different defunct financial organisations as void and directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman to immediately withdraw the same.

During hearing petition of a defunct forex company’s affected person, who had invested $5,000 in the company, it was transpired to a division bench that the undertaking, the scam-hit being asked to submit, carried a restriction for the victims on moving courts against the NAB with regard to payment of their claims.

Petitioner Muhammad Husain Rana had told the court he had been compelled by the NAB to receive only Rs27,450 with an undertaking that he would be satisfied after receipt of the said amount. Whereas, he said the NAB had previously verified his claim to the extent of $5,000 invested in ROUF International Advisory Services, that defrauded public at large.

He stated the NAB had been delaying payment of his approved claim for the last 10 years. He asked the court to order the NAB to release the amount as per the approved claim.

The bench headed by Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa also admonished NAB Punjab Director General Syed Burhan Ali, present in the court, for the poor performance of his investigating officers.

The bench adjourned further hearing till Nov 2 and directed the DG to submit a report showing progress in payment of the claims to victims of the forex scam.

Qasim Zia: An accountability court judge directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday to remove the name of PPP leader Qasim Zia from an inquiry being held by the bureau as he had started returning the scammed amount under a voluntarily return scheme.

Zia’s counsel told the court his client had voluntarily deposited a Rs8m installment to NAB and the LHC granted him bail on the same ground.

The counsel assured the judge that Zia would also submit remaining amount of Rs20m to NAB. Therefore, he asked the court to order removal of Zia’s name from the inquiry list of NAB.

A deputy prosecutor of NAB conceded before the court that Zia had deposited the first installment.

At this the court directed the bureau to remove Zia from its inquiry list. The court also summoned stock exchange scam’s co-suspects Ali Usman Chaudhry and Muhammad Ali next week.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2015

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