ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman has given his nod to a deal for the release of seven accused involved in the fake bank accounts case under a plea bargain totalling Rs10.6 billion.

The accused were facing a case relating to misappropriation of land owned by the government of Sindh and the Pakistan Steel Mills.

Abdul Ghani surrendered 37.5 acres of industrial land and also expressed willingness to deposit over Rs2bn under a plea bargain. Likewise, Mohammad Touseef surrendered 37.5 acres of industrial land and Rs2.09bn, Amir (40 acres and Rs2.2bn), Siraj Shahid (50 acres and Rs2.78bn, Hammad Shahid (34.2 acres of residential land and Rs497 million), Tariq Baig (34 acres residential land and Rs491m), Mohammad Iqbal (33 acres of residential land and Rs476m).

According to NAB sources, Justice Javed Iqbal, the NAB chairman, has approved the plea bargain deal and the matter will now be placed before an accountability court.

All seven individuals were facing NAB investigation into illegal allotment of land by public functionaries.

Manzoor Qadir Kaka, a former executive director of the Sindh Building Control Authority and close aide to former president Asif Zardari, is also an accused in this case.

The National Accountability Bureau accused them of misuse of authority, illegal award of government land and misappropriation.

The payment for the plots of land was made through fake bank accounts, NAB sources alleged.

The seven were among 172 people whose names were mentioned in a report which the Federal Investiga­tion Agency placed before the Supreme Court during the hearing of the fake bank accounts case.

Former president Asif Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur are behind bars in connection with the case since the dismissal of their pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court on June 10.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2019