ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday initiated inquiry against former chief minister of Balochistan Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani for allegedly accumulating assets beyond known sources of his income.

The decision was taken at the executive board meeting of NAB.

A spokesman for NAB said: “Ex-chief minister of Balochistan is alleged to have accumulated assets beyond known sources of income, during his tenure as chief minister, to the tune of Rs4.4 billion.”

He was also accused of misusing his authority and causing huge loss to the exchequer.

The meeting authorised an inquiry against Sher Afzal and Talat Mahmood, two former director generals, and six other officers of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation.

They are allegedly involved in illegal allotment and unjust cancellation of plots.

An inquiry was approved against officers and officials of the ministry of religious affairs. The suspects involved were blamed for corruption and corrupt practices in construction of three towers by a construction company M/s Dallah Real Estate.

The fourth inquiry is being conducted against the management of Oil and Gas Development Company and others for violating Public Procurement Rules in procurement of equipment for Uch-II development project in Dera Bugti by illegally awarding contract to a firm Bellelli Engineering SPA Italy at a very high cost causing a loss of Rs75.9 million to the exchequer.

The meeting authorised an inquiry against Tahir Basharat Cheema, former managing director of Pakistan Electric Power Company.

He was alleged to have misused his authority in appointments of 437 employees in Gujranwala Electric Power Company.

The sixth inquiry was initiated against Malik Mohammad Rafiq Khar, former MPA, and revenue officials. Mr Khar in connivance with revenue officials had allegedly committed corruption, misused his authority, tempered with the state record and illegally allotted state land in his own name and in the names of his sons.

The NAB board approved filing a supplementary reference against Mufti Mohammad Ehsanul Haq, owner of Fayyazi Industries Gujranwala Pvt Ltd, and 35 others in a Modaraba case.

The accused were alleged to have cheated the public at large by attracting them to invest in Modaraba business and looted an amount of Rs6.5 billion.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2014