LAHORE, June 13: The National Accountability Bureau was given a June 28 deadline by an accountability court on Thursday for filing a complete reference against former Lahore Zila Council chairman Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali and his alleged accomplices.

The NAB informed the court that investigations were under way in the reference following the arrest of two co-accused last week.

The NAB had arrested Mr Ali, former Zila Council chief officer Imtiaz Qadir and former taxation officer Shaukat Ali Maken for irregularities involving Rs560 million in the award of the tax collection contract from 1991 to 1994 with the abetment of Mr Ali an absconding co-accused, Chaudhry Shaukat Ali.

According to the NAB, Mr Qadir enhanced the tax schedule for 1991-92 without a proportionate enhancement in the contract amount. This caused a Rs50 million loss to the Zila Council. Mr Maken is accused of failing to exercise his authority to prevent the loss and offering export tax contract for the year 1993-94 in violation of rules.

Mr Ali is alleged to have misused his authority as council chairman. He has already been convicted in another corruption reference.