LAHORE, Feb 3: Federal Investigation Agency chief Waseem Ahmed on Thursday dismissed an allegation that he had provided protection to Amin Qasim Dada, the member of the board of directors of the National Insurance Corporation Limited (NICL), who allegedly brokered the deal.

However, the inquiry against Mr Waseem will continue.

“FIA director (Karachi) Moazzam Jah has told the inquiry officer, additional-director Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, that Dada met with me before registration of ‘any’ case against him. Mine is a public office and if someone having no criminal record comes to see me I cannot refuse,” FIA Director-General Waseem Ahmed told Dawn.

He said it would be unfair to associate Dada with him. “A wrong impression in this regard is deliberately being created against me,” he said, adding that he had not solicited this slot. “I had never sought extension,” he said.

Mr. Ahmed said the apex court had high expectations from the FIA. “Since the Supreme Court is not much interested in engaging the National Accountability Bureau in different probes the agency is the only choice. Now on emergency basis we are hiring services of the chartered accountants having expertise in forensic audit to deliver well,” he said.

However, Zafar Ahmed Qureshi said he had made an observation on the inquiry related to the statement of Mr. Jah. “Mr. Jah had told the Supreme Court that Dada met with Mr. Ahmed at the latter’s office four or five days before registration of the NICL case against the former. And now he is saying that Dada met Ahmed a day before the registration of the case,” Qureshi said, adding that unless the doubt about the alleged connection of Dada with Ahmed was clear it would be difficult to say whether the department would proceed against its own chief.

There has been a controversy in the FIA about Mr. Qureshi’s holding of an inquiry against the senior officer (the director-general). Some officials think that this will further weaken the department. “A BS-22 official should be tasked with probing the allegation against Mr. Ahmed. Justice cannot be done if an accuser becomes an adjudicator,” an official noted.

Meanwhile, the FIA got assurance from the UK authorities that Moonis Elahi’s bank account worth Rs140 million would be frozen. “We have also moved to a court in the UK to get extradition of Mohsin Warriach, the main accused in the Rs.3.3 billion scam,” Qureshi said.

The FIA has already got issued arrest warrants for Moonis who is in Dubai. Dada is still at large. The FIA has arrested 12 people, including former NICL chairman Ayaz Khan Niazi and former minister Habibullah Warriach so far.