PESHAWAR: Accountability courts have remanded four more suspects in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau here for seven days each in a high-profile case involving the alleged embezzlement of over Rs37 billion funds in the Upper Kohistan district accounts office.

Officials of the NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produced two suspects, including contractors Gul Zada and Nawabzada, before judge Hamid Mughal, whereas the the other two, including Syed Jamil and Syed Naseer, were taken to the court of judge Ali Gohar.

Special prosecutors Habibullah Baig and Khizar Hayat appeared before both courts, respectively, and insisted that the suspects were arrested in Kohistan and Abbottabad a day ago.

Mr Baig said that Gul Zada was the owner of a construction firm and was closely linked to the prime suspect, Qaiser Iqbal, who was the head clerk in the communication and works department.

Claims multi-million rupee transactions traced in bank accounts of four detainees

He added that several transactions amounting to Rs251.8 million had taken place in his bank accounts.

The special prosecutor said that suspect Nawabzada was also linked to the other accused in the scam. He added that a total of Rs180 million transactions were witnessed in his bank accounts.

Mr Khizar Hayat appeared in the other court and insisted that transactions amounting to Rs198 million had taken place in the bank accounts of suspects Syed Jamil and Syed Naseer.

He added that transactions of Rs104 million were traced in the bank accounts of Syed Jamil and that of Rs94 million in the bank accounts of Syed Naseer. The special prosecutor said that the NAB had received the bank statements of those suspects.

Both prosecutors contended that the four suspects were required for further investigation into the scam, so the NAB needed their physical custody.

The NAB KP has so far arrested 32 suspects in the case, including prime accused Qaiser Iqbal and his wife. Both are now behind bars.

The NAB officials insisted that on the basis of credible information, the bureau had started an inquiry and during preliminary probe it revealed that officials of the communication and works department, Upper Kohistan, in connivance with officials of district accounts office, Upper Kohistan, and National Bank of Pakistan’s branch there, had misappropriated funds from different projects through bogus withdrawal of funds from the national treasury in the name of several contractors, who had not executed any civil work.

They added that the prime accused and several others were involved in the illegal withdrawal and misappropriation of over Rs37 billion from the “contractors security deposit head” of an account, G-10113.

The NAB alleged that the accused abused their respective positions to initiate the process of fraudulent withdrawal from government treasury by creating falsified documentations, which were used to siphon funds from the head of bank account, G-10113.

The bureau arrested suspects, including officials of the Upper Kohistan district accounts office, C&W department and commercial banks, along with several private contractors and individuals.

The accountability courts have so far confirmed several NAB orders to freeze dozens of several detained accused’s moveable and immovable properties, including luxurious residences, commercial plazas and plots, expensive vehicles and cash, including foreign currency notes.

Around 38 of the frozen properties allegedly belonged to another key accused in the case, Mohammad Riaz, a bank cashier turned contractor, and his close relatives.

The said accused had allegedly established some construction companies on the names of his six brothers and subsequently on his name after resignation from the bank.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2025