ISLAMABAD: In a major reshuffle in the National Accountability Bureau, the director general of its Financial Crimes Investigation Wing, Kausar Iqbal Malik, has been sent back to his former department.

The decision was taken by newly appointed NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry who, according to sources, is making his own team. They said some more changes in the NAB hierarchy were expected over the next few days. Mr Malik, a senior executive vice-president of the National Bank, has held different posts in NAB over the last nine years.

“In pursuance of the NBP correspondence, Kausar Iqbal Malik, Director General of FCIW, National Accountability Bureau, has been repatriated to his parent department, NBP, with immediate effect. A notification to this effect has been issued,” NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid said.

Mr Malik was removed from NAB by the caretaker government in February in a major reshuffle under which many senior officials of different organisations were transferred. But some of them, including Mr Malik, were restored to their previous positions by the Supreme Court.

The sources said that Mr Malik tried to become additional deputy director general of the Federal Investigation Agency a few weeks ago when the current NAB chief was serving as interior secretary. But his request was turned down by the interior ministry.

Mr Malik faced criticism and was removed several times while working in NAB. He was sent back to the NBP in February 2011 after he developed differences with the bureau’s former deputy chairman. Soon after joining the bank he was also sacked by it. However, he got his job restored and was transferred to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources from where he was sent to the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited and given an important post.

On Dec 12 last year, Mr Malik was again appointed as director general of the FCIW as well as DG operations in NAB.