ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Islamabad/Rawalpindi has further expedited the process of returning recovered money to the victims of Ghouri Town housing scam ahead of Eidul Azha.

Formal disbursement of approximately Rs240 million commenced on Monday at NAB Islamabad/Rawalpindi, with a total amount of Rs465 million returned to the affected persons.

In this connection, a special ceremony was held at NAB Islamabad/Rawalpindi where NAB Director General Islamabad/Rawalpindi Waqar Ahmed Chauhan presided over the event and distributed cheques among the victims.

On the occasion, he advised the public to ensure legal and regulatory verification before investing in any housing or investment project to avoid fraud and illegal schemes. He reaffirmed that NAB’s foremost priority remains the recovery of public money and the timely provision of relief to affected persons.

It is pertinent to mention that in 2012, the Ghouri Town administration launched Phase-7 and Phase-8 projects, promising residential plots to citizens. However, it later surfaced that the required legal approvals for these projects had not been obtained despite billions of rupees being collected from the public. When neither the legal formalities were completed nor plots were handed over despite the passage of time, the plot seekers approached NAB, where the case was formally initiated in Nov 2023.

During the investigation, evidence of alleged irregularities and issuance of illegal files reportedly surfaced, following which approximately 1,550 individuals submitted claims. The total financial volume of the case is stated to exceed Rs1.4 billion.

According to sources, NAB Islamabad had previously distributed approximately Rs225 million among Ghouri Town scam victims, while under its recovery-focused strategy, formal disbursement of an additional Rs240 million has now commenced in this new phase.

The process of recovery, verification, and legal proceedings remains ongoing, and further payments are expected in upcoming phases.

Observers believe that the recent acceleration in the return of funds to affected persons by NAB was being viewed positively by the public, resulting in a noticeable improvement in public trust and goodwill towards the institution.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2026