ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has claimed to have made a breakthrough in Lahore's Canal Motors scam by processing 210 claims of about Rs1.2 billion and confiscating hidden assets. It has placed the names of all the main accused on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The progress was reviewed at a meeting of NAB's executive board held here on Wednesday under its Chairman Syed Deedar Hussain Shah. The board approved the filing of references, plea bargain and voluntary returns and complaints' verifications and authorised inquiries against a number of people.

It was informed that an application submitted by one of the main accused, Hafiz Usman Yousaf, for voluntarily returning the looted money was being processed.

Assets of another accused, Mansoorul Haq Rana, Superintendent of Police of Jarranwala, have been seized. His father, brother and wife, who are directors of the 'Speedily Wheels' family concern, have been summoned for interrogation.

It was alleged that the accused Rana Qaisar Nazir in connivance with his relatives lured people with offers of exaggerated profits to invest in the booking of vehicles. They embezzled the investments in addition to taking commission. The accused collected over Rs1.2 billion and transferred the amount to benamidar accounts.

Initially, the accused were arrested by local police on numerous complaints filed by people in Lahore.

After NAB had authorised an inquiry, Rana Qaisar, Mohsan Abbasi, Ahsan Abbasi and Hafiz Usman were arrested by the bureau.

The property confiscated in the scam includes: House No175-A, PCSIR Society, Lahore; House No81, Indus Block, Green Fort-II, Lahore; plots Nos51 and 52/D, Sukhchain Gardens, Lahore; 104-kanal farmland and Rana Farmhouse at Chak No39, Sargodha; Novell Catering Service at 122, Tipu Block, Garden Town, Lahore; K & Z Rice Mills, Ghakhar Mandi, Gujranwala; K & Z Poultry/ Hatchery at Soay Asil Road, Mustafaabad (Lalyani), Kasur; House No5 Alfalah Park, Sabzazar Scheme, Lahore; Houses Nos40/7, 38/12 and 70/7, Rail Town, Lahore; plot No184/D-4, FDA City, Faisalabad; two plots in DHA, Islamabad; and a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Totota Hilux.

The NAB board approved plea bargain cases of a former MD of the Pasban Cooperative Finance Corporation for loan default, Syed Anwarul Haq of the Anwar Housing Scheme for returning the full amount to plot seekers, Ayyazuddin Durrani of Dascon, Pano Aqil Cantonment, and a former DHO of D.I. Khan for Rs1.2 million loss to the state exchequer.

The board approved filling of references against Aurangzeb Khan of the PTCL for accumulating assets beyond his declared means of income and the remaining members of the family of Shahid Hassan Awan who were actively involved in the scam.The meeting authorised inquiries against Shamsuz Zaman for money laundering, former ZTBL chief Mansur Khan for mismanagement of funds, Capital One Equities and Cliktrade Limited of the Karachi Stock Exchange for misappropriating public money and the chief executive of the Akro Protection Services, Islamabad.

Complaint verifications against Dr Naeem Aziz Qureshi of the FBR and Ali Ahmed Bugti of the customs department were also allowed.

The board constituted a committee to verify the facts of an inquiry report against a former administrator of Jammu and Kashmir state property in Pakistan.