ISLAMABAD: The National Account­ability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday approved filing of a reference against Ejaz Haroon, former chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines, Abdul Ghani Majeed of Omni Group and others in an accountability court for their alleged involvement in illegal allotment of plots in Overseas Cooperative Housing Society, Kidney Hills, Karachi.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the bureau’s executive board presided over by NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

According to a press release issued by NAB, the suspects were also involved in making payment for the plots through fake bank accounts which inflicted heavy losses on the national exchequer.

The meeting also approved conduct of an inquiry against the officials of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation.

It referred a complaint regarding negligence in duty by the customs officials deployed at Sost Dry Port to the Federal Board of Revenue for further proceedings.

The participants of the meeting said that NAB always believed in respecting parliament and parliamentarians and also had regard for the business community which played an important role in the progress and prosperity of the country.

NAB also decided to initiate a probe into what it called baseless, misleading, concocted and fabricated propaganda against the bureau launched to tarnish its image and reputation.

The press release said NAB denied the impression that the business community was perturbed due to the bureau’s actions.

“NAB always believes in performing its duties in accordance with law. Business community and other segments of Pakis­tani society also desire the transformation of the country into a prosperous, corruption-free and developed country,” it said.

“NAB has outright rejected and brushed aside the impression created by some elements about death of accused person in its custody,” the press release said, adding that such baseless and misleading allegations could not stop the bureau from performing its legal and constitutional functions to eradicate corruption from country.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2020