ISLAMABAD: The Executive Board of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has started referring petty cases to the provinces or other authorities after it was asked recently by the federal government to deal only with mega corruption cases.

A meeting of the board presided over by NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal on Wednesday sent a case against Mohammad Usman, Chairman of Qila Abdullah District Council, to the Anti-Corruption Department, Balochistan.

The meeting referred the cases of buying land in Sarai Kharboza against officers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and management and others of the Multi Professional Cooperative Housing Society to the CDA for further legal action.

It authorised referring the cases against officers/officials of Swat University and others; officers/officials of Revenue Department, Charsadda and others; Directorate of Civil Defence, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; officers/officials of District Education Office, Kohat and others to the chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as per law.

Government recently asked anti-graft watchdog to deal only with mega corruption cases

The board sent a case of Jan Mohammad Memon, account holder of an Allied Bank Limited branch in Hyderabad, to the Auditor General, Sindh for further legal action.

The meeting referred a case to the Local Bodies Department, Punjab, against the management of Faisalabad Parking Company Limited, officers/officials and management of Lahore Division Cattle Market Management Committee and others.

The meeting approved inquiries against Pace Pakistan Private Limited and others; Commoners Sky Garden Private Limited and officials/officers of Revenue Department; retired Brig Mohammad Farooq Maan, former chairman PCBL; Hasnain Cotex; Rawat Developers and others; officers/officials of PIA; officers/officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zone Development and Management Company, Peshawar and others; Management of Balochistan Development Authority; Health Department Quetta and others; Children Hospital Multan; officers and officials of District Accounts Office, Multan and others; Health Department Quetta and others; Children Hospital Multan, District Accounts Office Multan’s officers/officials and others; Ahmed Khan Baloch, former member of the Punjab Assembly and others; Arif Ibrahim, former Secretary Finance, Gilgit-Baltistan and others.

The board authorised investigations against officers of the land utilisation department, government of Sindh, and others and officers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company Limited.

The meeting approved closing down the cases against Chaudhry Mohammad Qasim, Chief Executive/ Director, Chaudhry Group of Industries (Chaudhry Cable Private Limited and Chaudhry Wire Rope Industries Private Limited Lahore) and others; owners/directors of Hasnain Cosmetics Private Limited; officers of C and D Department, Punjab; Management of Punjab Culture and Outreach Company; management, officers of Capital Market Management Company, Dera Ghazi Khan; management, officers of Punjab Population Innovation Fund Company and others; management, officers of Punjab Working Women Endowment; and Malik Qasim, member the Punjab Assembly, due to lack of incriminating evidence.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2019