ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) decided on Wednesday to initiate an inquiry against a former president of the National Bank (NBP), Ali Raza, and some other senior officials for alleged irregularities in the bank.

A NAB executive board meeting “authorised officials to hold the inquiry against irregularities committed by ex-president Ali Raza and other executives, including Dr Mirza Abrar Baig, in the NBP in the name of streamlining the bank’s operations”, sources said.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court last year, seeking formation of a commission to investigate alleged illegal appointments, corruption and other illegalities committed by the high-ups of the NBP over the past 10 years.

The petition was filed by Syed Jahangir, president of the Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) and secretary general of the Trade Union Foundation of the NBP. The respondents included Mr Raza, Mr Baig, Senator Islamuddin Sheikh and Riaz Laljee.

The petitioner said that although Mr Raza had been removed as the bank’s president on orders of the Supreme Court, he had been given a higher office of chairman of its board of governors. Mr Baig had been made head of the human resource department despite crossing the age of superannuation, it said.

When contacted, Mr Raza said he was not aware of NAB’s decision. “I have not been intimated by NAB in this regard.”

He, however, said the bank’s human resource department had received a letter a few days ago in which the bureau had sought information about appointments of employees.

He said the bank had provided the required information.

The NAB board approved filing of a reference against Allauddin, a retired chief engineer of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa public health department, rejecting his request for voluntary return of amount, because there was clear evidence to prove the allegation of corruption in a court.

References against Rasheed Ahmed Qureshi, former assistant manager (operation) of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) in Shabqadar, and against former Haripur tehsildar Sardar Manzoor for misuse of authority and embezzlement of public property were approved.

The board authorised verification of a complaint about use of a large amenity plot for commercial purposes in violation of the agreement by the National Collage of Business and Management Sciences.

A list of all such plots leased or allotted for amenity or specific purposes will be sought from the Capital Development Authority along with the amount charged from them.

It decided that cases against former Pesco chief engineer Abdul Wali and a former general manager of the Sarhad Development Authority would be closed.