PESHAWAR: An accountability court on Saturday remanded the prime accused and his wife into the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for seven and four days, respectively, in a high-profile case of the allegedRs37 billion funds embezzlement in the Upper Kohistan district accounts office.

Judge Mohammad Hamid Mughal directed NAB officials to produce the main accused, Qaiser Iqbal, a head clerk of the communication and works department, before him on Oct 25 and his wife on Oct 22.

He declared that the woman accused would remain under “care and supervision” of woman associate investigation officer Uzma Parveen and that she should be kept in the women police station of the Police Lines Peshawar between sunset and sunrise.

The NAB has arrested over a dozen accused in the case.

NAB deputy prosecutor general Mohammad Ali and special prosecutor Habibullah Baig submitted applications on behalf of deputy director and investigation officer Waqar Ahmad, seeking 14-day physical custody of the couple.

Mr Ali said that Qaiser Iqbal was allegedly involved in the illegal withdrawal and misappropriation of over Rs37 billion funds from the contractors’ security deposit head of a bank account.

He said that on credible information, the NAB KP had started an inquiry and found out that officials of the communication and works department, Upper Kohistan, in connivance with officials of district accounts office and local National Bank of Pakistan branch, had misappropriated funds from different projects through bogus withdrawals from the national treasury in the name of contractors, who didn’t carry out any civil work.

The NAB deputy prosecutor general said that suspect Qaiser Iqbal had been working as a head clerk in the C&W department of Upper Kohistan since Aug 30, 2013, and had, in that capacity, masterminded the preparation and submission of fabricated schedules and cheques drawn on government treasury.

He said that the accused had abused his position to initiate the process of fraudulent withdrawal from government treasury by creating falsified documentations, which were used to siphon off funds from the bank account.

Mr Ali claimed that the accused had colluded with officials of the district accounts office, commercial banks and private contractors to ensure the processing of fraudulent cheques without scrutiny.

He alleged that the prime accused also facilitated the “layering” of funds through the bank accounts of his associates and benamidars.

The NAB deputy prosecutor general added that the accused also held assets in the name of his associates and benamidars, including the woman accused to disguise their true origin.

He claimed that during the search of the accused’s house, gold, foreign and local currency notes, luxury vehicles, documents of properties worth billions of rupees, and original records of treasury cheques and their counter foils were seized.

Mr Ali said that Ms Gulfareen, in connivance with her husband and his other benamidars, managed huge cash withdrawals from the bank accounts and purchased valuable assets in her name knowingly that such assets were grossly disproportionate to the known sources of her husband’s income.

He added that the couple, throughout the inquiry and investigation, hid facts, remained non-cooperative, provided misleading statements and concealed critical details of the assets held to clear the liability of more than Rs14 billion determined so far.

The accountability courts have confirmed several NAB orders to freeze dozens of moveable and immovable properties, including luxurious residences, commercial plazas and plots, expensive vehicles and foreign currency notes, allegedly owned by several of the detained accused.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025