LAHORE: After more than 18 months of probing into a corruption scam involving provincial minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed, the National Accountability Bureau, Lahore, has again sought permission from NAB chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry for further investigation into the matter.

Mr Chaudhry has recently drawn ire of the Supreme Court in Panama case for the bureau’s ‘inability’ to reopen money laundering references against the Sharif family.

“After an initial probe, the NAB Lahore has forwarded the matter of Rana Mashhood to its headquarters for further investigation,” an official told Dawn. He said the NAB Lahore had apprised the headquarters of its initial probe that lasted for one-and-a-half years and now sought nod of its head for carrying the probe further.

NAB spokesman Nawaz Ali Asim would not divulge why the bureau wasted 18 months on an incomplete probe into the Punjab minister’s alleged corruption and it still needed go-ahead from its chief to further investigate the matter.

The NAB Lahore had launched investigation into a video clip showing Rana Mashhood apparently receiving money for “party fund” from a fraudster Asim Malik, owner of a visa consultancy firm - Future Concern - at his house. It also probed into alleged corruption in the Punjab Youth Festival 2014 and entries of ‘fake record’ in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The NAB reportedly recorded the statements of different officials associated with the Youth Festival. It faced problems in video clip case (against the minister) because the Future Concern owner fled to UK allegedly after receiving millions of rupees from people on the pretext of sending them abroad on student and visit visas and immigration. The NAB seems to have relied on forensic examination of the video.

On the other hand, Rana Mashhood had asked the NAB chief as why the bureau had failed to complete the inquiry against him in stipulated period of six months. “As per standard operating procedures of NAB, every inquiry has to be completed within six months and I am still clueless (about inquiry against me),” he had said in a letter to the NAB chief.

The minister further said it was a fundamental right of every citizen to know about any allegations leveled against him. He had also accused NAB of harassing his “personal friends, family members and political workers.” NAB denied the allegations.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017