ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: National Accountability Bureau’s Chairman Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari said here on Wednesday that important cases of corruption should be processed at a faster pace.

Presiding over his first meeting of the executive board as its chairman, he asked NAB officers to come next time with properly processed cases.

He decided that references should be filed in accountability courts and authorised inquiries into various matters.

The board was informed about references relating to loss suffered by the public exchequer from corrupt practices, illegal allotments, misuse of authority and misappropriation.

One reference was against Asad Ali Shah for allegedly allotting 158 plots of Mansehra Development Authority at nominal prices and creating additional plots at Hazar Gangi bus stand for allotment to favoured people.

A reference was approved against some officials of the Balochistan food department for misappropriation of wheat whose flour was to be sold at fair price shops.

The chairman approved a reference against Syed Sohail Hassan, the CEO of Cargo Aids, for having caused a huge loss to PIA and said cases must be dealt with utmost efficiency and delays should be avoided, especially when the accused had been arrested.

The meeting directed the officials concerned to remove loopholes in some references to ensure foolproof cases in order to avoid embarrassment at a later stage.

The board authorised inquires against Instaphone for the recovery of defaulted amount of the PTA; against the release of a performance bond by food ministry officials for import of fertiliser; against the PWD and former Attock nazim Sheikh Aftab Ahmed MNA in a case of alleged misappropriation in development works in the NA-57 constituency.

It decided to proceed against an additional district accounts officer of Shikarpur for allowing teachers to withdraw GP Fund in excess of their entitlements.

It permitted an inquiry into default and furnishing of fake collaterals by Harris Steel Mills amounting to Rs400 million. The board decided to take to task the evaluators for making false assessments of the property for bank loans.

Inquiries into several suspicious transactions reported by various banks were also allowed.

The board decided to transfer an inquiry relating to the Innovative Investment Bank from Rawalpindi NAB to Lahore.

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