MULTAN: As a two-member team formed by the National Accountability Bureau Chairman arrived here on Tuesday to probe into allegations of accepting bribe by some bureau officials to close a corruption case against a food official from Bahawalpur, the NAB Multan claimed that some cheats while showing their links with some NAB officials had got Rs7 million in the case in question.

An official handout by the NAB Multan rejected media reports that some bureau officials had tried to close the case.

“It is necessary to clarify that the reference of assets means has been filed in the accountability court after arresting accused Tanveer Nusrat and his case is under trial; however the brother of accused alleged that some cheaters while giving reference to their links with the officers of NAB Multan got Rs7 million to get closed the case ... but after not getting any benefit or favour from the NAB, the outsiders returned the (bribe) amount,” it stated.

It stated that the first report in this regard was sent to the NAB Headquarters in Islamabad from the Multan regional office in which a separate and comprehensive investigation into the matter was requested.

“It is necessary to keep in mind that criminals outside the NAB sometimes on the name of the NAB and sometime pretending themselves as officers of the NAB are involved in such activities. During the current year two cheaters Nadim Abbasi and Ejaz Kazmi were arrested by the NAB Multan and lacs of rupees were recovered from them while two different references were also filed in the accountability court. Moreover, advertisements were got published in the newspapers by the NAB (to ask public) to remain cautious from the cheaters,” it added but did not identify cheats in this case.

“However the inquiry committee constituted on the direction of the Chairman over the request of the NAB Multan will submit its report and if any of the NAB officer or employee found involve in it, action will be taken against him as per law. There are no chances of interference from outside in NAB investigation system as investigation uses to be done by a combined investigation team of four to five persons/senior officers under regional board instead of a single person,” the handout said.

A two-member team comprising Col Tariq Mehmood Bhatti, Add Director of Inspection and Monitoring, and Izhaar Shah, Add Director Monitoring Operation Divsion, has reached Multan to record the statements of the accused party and NAB officials, including Additional Director (Staff) NAB Multan Ahmed Mumtaz Bajwa, case officer Muhammad Shahid and investigation officer Ali Arslan.

Sources said the committee would also probe the matter of giving assignment of in-charge intelligence wing to Qaisar Mehmood despite a judge of the accountability court in Rawalpindi had recommended inquiry against him on the charges of misleading the court in connection with a housing society case and his promotion was withheld for five years from the date of eligibility to promotion for next grade.

BACKGROUND: During regional board’s meeting held in July 2018, IO Ali Arslan recommended closure of the case while claiming that allegations against the food official were not provable. However, a board member, Additional Director Muhammad Ilyas Qamar, opposed the recommendation and insisted recommended upgrade of inquiry into investigation.

On July 26, Mr Qamar was made the case officer while Muhammad Alim Liaqat took over as new IO of the case by replacing Ali Arslan Haidar.

Meanwhile, Mr Qamar lodged a complaint with the NAB chairman saying three persons [from the accused party] had visited the Multan office to lodge their protest for converting the inquiry into investigation as they claimed that they had paid Rs7 million to Additional Director Ahmed Mumtaz Bajwa through a ‘front man’.

They said that case officer Muhammad Shahid played his role to materialise the deal by using the WhatsApp account of one of his friends. The [bribe] amount was returned to the accused party by the same front man in two installments of Rs4 million and Rs3 million.

They said that after the inquiry was converted into investigation, by returning Rs4 million, the accused party was assured that the investigation team would ensure the confirmation of pre-arrest bail of the accused from the Lahore High Court but it was rejected and remaining amount of Rs3 million was also returned.

The main suspect was arrested after the Lahore High Court dismissed his pre-arrest bail on Jan 9.

They said Mr Qamar, who was transferred from Multan to the NAB Headquarters a couple of months back, lodged a complaint with the [NAB] chairman besides providing his recorded conversation with the party to the NAB intelligence wing.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2019