LAHORE: The interior ministry does not seem to be interested in bringing back Kamran Kayani, a brother of former army chief retired Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, from abroad in the Rs15 billion DHA City scam despite the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Read: NAB issues arrest warrants for brother of former COAS Ashfaq Kiyani

“We had written to the interior ministry early this year seeking issuance of a red warrant for Kamran Kayani and pursuing the case with Interpol to bring him back to the country for his alleged involvement in over Rs15bn DHA City Lahore scam,” a NAB official told Dawn here on Tuesday. He said the interior ministry had not yet initiated the action against the suspect on its request.

The ministry’s ‘silence’ over the matter has even surprised many in NAB. The ministry did not come up with a clear-cut response when Dawn sought its comments on the matter. “I will speak to the officials concerned about Kamran Kayani’s matter and tell you the ministry’s point of view,” Sarfraz Hussain, the interior ministry spokesman, told Dawn. But he did not give the ministry’s version (over the Kayani issue) despite several reminders during the last one week.

A source in NAB said the bureau could not go after Mr Kayani as it was the interior ministry that had to pursue this case. “We fail to understand as to why the interior ministry is not showing interest in this case,” he said.

No effort made to bring back proclaimed offender Kamran Kayani from abroad

NAB had already filed a reference against the prime suspect, Hammad Arshad, a relative of a former chief justice of Pakistan, Mr Kayani and others in an accountability court.

NAB also had issued Mr Kayani’s arrest warrant after getting him declared a proclaimed offender through the accountability court.

According to sources, NAB determined ‘Rs4bn’ liability against Mr Kayani in the DHA City scam.

In Jan 2016, NAB arrested Mr Arshad, the owner of Globaco (Pvt) Ltd. The Defence Housing Authority declared Mr Kayani’s firm, Elysium Holdings Pakistan, co-accused in the scam.

According to NAB, Globaco signed an agreement with the DHA-EME in Nov 2009, agreeing to develop the DHA City Lahore on a tract measuring 25,000 kanals near Thokar Niaz Beg. The firm managed to purchase only 13,103 kanals of the land, and that too in a scattered form. Mr Arshad collected Rs15.47bn from the public by issuing allotment letters and later transferred the money to his personal accounts.

The accused used the funds for personal gains and invested them in other business ventures.

NAB said that because no meaningful development work was undertaken in the DHA City, the accused cheated the general public and the families of soldiers and martyrs by depriving them of their hard-earned money.

Of the amount received by the main accused from the public, he spent only Rs1.82bn to acquire the 13,103 kanals.

There are more than 11,700 affected persons registered with the DHA, which claims that Globaco — now known as Orange Holding Private Limited, an offshoot of Eden Private Limited — “intentionally kept delaying the project and gave different options for more financial gains”.

Mr Arshad and project director of the DHA City Lahore, retired Brig Khalid Nazir Butt, are in judicial custody. Last week, NAB arrested Murad Arshad, director of Globaco. Murad Arshad was among the major signatories of the controversial agreement between the DHA administration and Globaco Pvt Ltd. He has been on physical remand.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2017