ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday approved 17 fresh inquiries against accused persons involved in scams.

According to the NAB’s spokesman, the bureau’s Executive Board Meeting (EBM) presided over by Chairman Javed Iqbal accorded approval to inquiries against various accused, including public office holders, in the fake bank accounts scam.

The meeting also approved inquiries against legal persons and others, public office holders, relevant staff members/directors of sugar mills of Omni group in fake bank account scam and others, officials/officers of Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDCL); Imran Saleem, Inspector of Punjab police; Naeem Akbar, Aamir Ishaq Malik, Citi Housing Scheme; Captain Ejaz Haroon, former managing director of the Pakistan International Airlines; Ali Tahir Qasim, Chief Commercial Officer of PIA and Tariq Mehmood Sheikh, Chief Executive Officer of Air International Pvt and others.

Govt employees among those facing inquiries in fake bank account, Safe City project and other cases

Inquiries were also approved against former chief operating officer/officials of Safe Cities Authority.

The board authorised investigations against the OGDCL management; officials of Sandak Metals Limited, and others; owners/directors and others of Nirala MSR Foods.

The meeting approved referring an inquiry against Adult/HRL JV and others to the Civil Aviation Authority for further proceedings.

Speaking on the occasion, the NAB chief said it was decided to go ahead after assessing the merits of the cases and after knowing flip side of the coin.

He said all available resources were being utilised to take mega corruption cases to a logical conclusion.

“Top most priority of the Bureau is to conclude to punish accused involved in sugar, flour, money laundering, fake accounts, abuse of authority, assets beyond means, illegal housing societies, modaraba scams, etc,” he added.

He said NAB had recovered Rs535 billion directly and indirectly from corrupt elements in the past three years.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2021