LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested the chief engineer of the Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) and his alleged accomplice for possessing “assets beyond known sources of income”.

According to NAB Lahore, chief engineer Mazhar Hussain Asif, a BS-19 officer, has been found involved in corruption and corrupt practices as being a public office holder in Tepa and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) as he allegedly amassed assets worth Rs700 million, disproportionate to his known sources of income.

As per the bureau, during the course of Inquiry, it was revealed that the suspect holds several precious properties, bank accounts in his own and his family members’ names along with a benamidar suspect, Anjum Zeeshan.

“Three one kanal plots in the LDA Avenue-I, Lahore; two 10 marla plots in LDA Avenue-I; four flats in Mozang area of Lahore, which were later sold out by the accused and the same obtained hefty amount by selling these.”

The NAB further said the suspect Mazhar Hussain also purchased 16 kanal and 11 marla land in Mauza Ameerpura, Lahore in the name of Anjum Zeeshan, whose account was also used to hide the ill-gotten money.

“Zeeshan had been employed in Tepa against Rs20,000 salary while an amount of Rs200 million was deposited in his bank account by the prime suspect Asif.”It said the analysis of the bank account of Mazhar and his family members also revealed that an amount of Rs200m was transferred to their accounts of which sources were unknown. The suspect could not validate the bank transactions worth Rs80 million into his own account also.

“After collecting all evidence against both suspects, NAB arrested them and will present them before an accountability court on Friday (today) to obtain their physical remand for interrogation,” it said.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2020