ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to expedite the process of investigation and prosecution in the Rs31 billion Modaraba (Mode of Islamic investment) scam in order to recover the money that the people had invested in the scheme, said a spokesperson for the bureau.

The spokesman quoted NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry as saying at a meeting on Thursday, “Work with honesty and double your efforts to recover the looted money and immediately arrest all the plunderers involved in the scam”.

The chairman directed the NAB officials to step up their efforts to bring back the suspects who had fled Pakistan and were living in foreign countries. “People expect from NAB to get them back their money from looters but it is also our duty,” he added.

Prosecutors at the regional level were directed to put their heads together with investigators so that cases being heard by courts were well prosecuted.

The NAB’s director general (Rawalpindi) told the meeting that the bureau had filed two references in the scam – one against Ghulam Rasool Ayubi (Mezban Trading Company and others) and the other against Mufti Shabbir Ahmed Usmani (Al-Wasey Group and others).

He said six investigations had been authorised in the scam – one each against Mufti Ehsanul Haq (M/s Fayyazi Gujranwala Industries), Asif Javed alias Maulana Ibrahim and others (M/s Elixir Group), Maulana Abdullah and others (Islamic Traders), Mohammad Irfan and others (Bolan City), Bilal Khan Bangash and others (Maseha Forex) and Matiur Rehman and others (M/s Global Concerns).

The meeting was informed that 17 inquiries were under progress.

The bureau has so far arrested 14 accused — Mufti Ehsanul Haq, Mufti Ibrarul Haq, Hafiz Mohammad Nawaz, Moeen Aslam, Obaidullah, Mufti Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Sajjad Ahmed, Asif Javeed, Ghu-lam Rasool Ayubi, Moh-ammad Hussain Ahmed, Hamid Nawaz, Mohammad Irfan, Bilal Khan Bangash and Matiur Rehman.

The director general was asked to solicit help from the general public as well as police to find out more assets of the culprits, besides whereabouts of the other accused. The bureau has recovered Rs1.69bn so far.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014