LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf, who is facing two corruption inquiries in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), failed to show up at his third consecutive appearance at the bureau on Monday as he has left the country.

“In spite of giving an undertaking to NAB to appear before a combined investigation team at the Lahore office on May 3, Mr Yousaf left for London and skipped the third consecutive appearance before it on Monday. This shows that Mr Yousaf is deliberately avoiding joining the NAB investigation,” a source told Dawn.

He said when Mr Yousaf had first appeared before the NAB team on April 24 in two investigations pertaining to the Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC) and the Punjab Power Development Company (PPDC), he asked for time till May 3.

“But he wilfully failed to join the investigation on May 3, on May 7, and now on May 21,” he said, adding that Mr Yousaf had also failed to reply to specific queries posed to him. He had also not provided the requested documents and records in this regard.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president’s son-in-law is accused of renting out a floor of a plaza he owns in Gulberg, Lahore, to the PSPC for Rs28 million a year. “The floor space had already been sold to Ikram Naveed, former chief executive officer of the PPDC, who was allegedly appointed to the top position on Mr Yousaf’s recommendation,” the source shared.

He added that Mr Yousaf had not been replying to any of the NAB’s queries regarding transfers of Rs120m by Mr Naveed to him, from the PPDC’s account. Mr Yousaf has also not provided NAB an agreement of sale/purchase of property with the PPDC chief.

“Crime proceeds were transferred to his personal as well as company accounts, hence it cannot be termed normal business transactions. Bank pay orders given to him clearly mention that the amount is being transferred from government accounts and not from personal accounts of Mr Naveed,” he said. Besides, the investigation against him is also under way for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.

Earlier in 2016, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) had initiated action against Mr Naveed on charges of corruption but Mr Yousaf was ‘given a clean chit’. The former was accused of embezzling Rs450m. His property worth over Rs1bn was frozen and he has since been in NAB’s custody.

Last week, NAB also questioned the Punjab CM’s son, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, in the PSPC case, for his alleged role in the award of certain contracts and making appointments in violation of rules since he is not a member of the company’s board of directors. He has been asked to respond to a questionnaire by May 24.

Separately, NAB has summoned the Punjab CM on June 4 in Rs14bn Ashiyana Housing scam. Mr Sharif will be questioned for his alleged role in the award of a contract in violation of rules.

Spokesperson for the Punjab government Malik Muhammad Ahmad was not available for comment but a source close to the Sharif family told Dawn that Mr Yousaf was busy with a family matter in London and he would return to the country to join the NAB investigation very soon.

Earlier, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons, Hassan and Hussain, had been declared proclaimed offenders after they skipped accountability court proceedings in three corruption references against them.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2018