PESHAWAR: An accountability court here on Wednesday approved a plea bargain of Rs3.922 billion of an accused contractor in the high-profile case involving alleged embezzlement of more than Rs37 billion in the Upper Kohistan district accounts office.

Judge Mohammad Zafar pronounced that accused Mohammad Ayub, who was running multiple construction firms allegedly involved in the scam, was discharged from his liabilities and should be released, if not required in any other case.

He ordered that the accused stood disqualified from holding any public office under Section 15 of National Accountability Ordinance. He pronounced that the accused had conceded that his plea bargain agreement with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had his complete consent and according to his free will and not under any duress, coercion or pressure.

Mohammad Ayub, a resident of Mansehra, was also brought to the court from prison. Barrister Haseeb Pirzada represented the accused and stated that the plea bargain of his client had already been approved by the chairman of NAB.

Orders release of accused if he’s not wanted in any other case

He requested the court to uphold the plea bargain approval and order release of his client. He added that the court had also earlier given approval for plea bargain of some other accused persons in the case and his client also deserved the same treatment.

The deputy prosecutor general accountability, Mohammad Ali, special prosecutor Manik Shah and the deputy director of NAB, Waqar Ahmad, appeared in the case and stated that they had moved an application under Section 25 (b) of NAO for approval of plea bargain of the accused.

They said that he was arrested in an investigation going on regarding embezzlement uncovered by NAB related to illegal withdrawal and misappropriation of more than Rs37 Billion from contractor security head of account number G-10113.

They said that the accused had admitted that he as a fake contractor had operated through his sole proprietorship namely M/S Kohistan Associates and Builders and other front entities in the names of his uncles and friends.

They stated that he actively operated multiple bank accounts and carried out the misappropriation in connivance with officials of communication and works department, district accounts office Kohistan and officials of various commercial banks.

They informed the court that that liability fixed by NAB authorities on the present accused related to corruption was to the tune of Rs3.922 billion.

The accused had submitted an affidavit and conceded to pay his entire liability by submitting three pay orders amounting to Rs119 million along with Rs500,000 cash recovered during his house search.

The remaining outstanding liability would be adjusted by the accused by surrendering 11 of his landed properties and an expensive land cruiser vehicle.

In its order, the court stated that the total amount would be paid within three months in a manner that either the accused would purchase properties or the same would be sold out and that the sale consideration at no cost should be less than the value shown against the properties.

It ordered that if after the expiry of three months, no buyer was brought or offer was rejected due to low price, the chairman of NAB would be having exclusive authority to recover the remaining amount while selling the said surrendered properties through auction or otherwise as the case may be.

The properties surrendered by the accused also include a 10-kanal and 10-marla house in Abbottabad worth Rs600 million, which was purchased from Senator Azam Khan Swati.

Another 111-kanal of land at Bajniyal Rawalpindi in the name of his friend Mehtab Shah, stated to be worth Rs1.27 billion, was also surrendered by the accused.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026