PESHAWAR: Accountability courts on Wednesday granted the National Accountability Bureau Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the remand of seven suspects in a high-profile case involving the alleged embezzlement of over Rs37 billion funds from Upper Kohistan’s district accounts office.

Of the suspects arrested a day ago, assistant accounts officer in Kohistan district accounts office Ulfat Ali, relative of the prime accused Imran Khan, and another beneficiary in the scam were produced before judge Amjid Zia Siddiqui, who remanded them in the NAB’s custody for seven days and ordered their production on Oct 29.

Similarly, four other suspects, including official of the Kohistan district accounts office Sher Baz, contractor Sartaj Khan, prime accused’s relative Faheem Moin Khan and official of communication and works department Abdul Basit were produced before judge Gohar Ali Khan, with the former three being remanded into the NAB’s custody for seven days each. The last one was remanded for three days.

Meanwhile, the wife of prime accused Qaiser Iqbal was produced before judge Mohammad Hamid Mughal by officials of NAB after completion of her four days physical custody.

Detainees accused of embezzling over Rs37bn funds from Kohistan accounts office

The court remanded her to further custody of NAB for three days.

Prime accused Qaiser Iqbal, a head clerk of the communication and works department, and his wife were arrested a few days ago and were produced before the court on Oct 18. The NAB was given custody of Qaiser for seven days and his wife’s for four days.

The NAB officials informed the court that the female suspect in active connivance with her husband and his other benamidars managed huge cash withdrawals from the bank accounts and through crime proceeds purchased valuable assets in her name knowingly that such assets were grossly disproportionate to the known sources of her husband income.

They said that the couple throughout the proceedings of inquiry and investigation were hiding the true 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.

They requested the court to extend her custody as investigation from her had yet to be completed.

With these latest arrests, the NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has so far apprehended around 22 suspects in the Rs35 billion corruption case.

The NAB officials insisted that on credible information, they had started an inquiry, which revealed that officials of the communication and works department in Upper Kohistan, in connivance with officials of district accounts office and local NBP branch, had misappropriated funds from different projects through bogus withdrawals from the treasury in the name of several contractors, who had not carried out any civil work.

They said several people were involved in the illegal withdrawal and misappropriation of over Rs37 billion from the contractors’ security deposit head of a bank account.

The officials said the accused abused their respective positions 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.

They said the accused included officials of the district accounts office, communication and works department, commercial banks and scores of private contractors.

The accountability courts have so far confirmed several NAB orders to freeze dozens of moveable and immovable properties, including luxurious residences, commercial plazas and plots, expensive vehicles and cash, including foreign currency allegedly owned by several suspects.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2025