ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) retired Justice Javed Iqbal expressed satisfaction over a monthly report of a Combined Investigation Team (CIT) formed to investigate the sugar scam on Wednesday and asked the officials concerned to complete the investigation in an impartial, transparent, and professional manner soon.

Reviewing the progress made by CIT in their probe, the NAB chief asked its members to collect data about sugar subsidy from all the provinces and also acquire financial and audit reports of the companies concerned from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan as per law.

Justice Iqbal told the meeting that the officials and departments concerned should be given an opportunity to justify/clarify their position as per the law.

The meeting was also attended by NAB’s deputy chairman Hussain Asghar, prosecutor general Syed Asghar Haider, director general (operations) Zahir Shah, director general (Rawalpindi) Irfan Naeem Mangi and other senior officers.

Asks CIT members to complete the probe on the basis of concrete evidence after obtaining certified and authentic documents

The CIT tasked with investigating the recent sugar scam comprises two investigation officers, a financial expert, a legal consultant, an expert of the sugar industry, an additional director, and a director and is led by Mr Mangi.

The head of the anti-graft watchdog told the meeting that NAB would take action in accordance with the law against all those who illegally received subsidy on sugar.

He directed the CIT members to complete the investigation on the basis of concrete evidence after obtaining certified and authentic documents in accordance with law, so that the accused could be brought to justice and the “looted money” recovered and deposited in the national exchequer.

The CIT was formed in August to look into the sugar subsidy given to various mill owners on export.

Under the action matrix, proposed by the sugar inquiry commission, different departments have been given various tasks to probe into the scam through different angles and aspects.

On July 28, the federal government had directed relevant authorities to launch a massive crackdown against sugar barons and submit their reports in the next 90 days.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar after seeking consent of Imran Khan wrote separate letters to the State Bank of Pakistan, Competition Commission of Pakistan, chief secretaries of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, asking them to launch a crackdown against the sugar mafia in the light of the forensic audit report. The sugar inquiry commission report was also annexed with the letters.

The Federal Board of Revenue was directed to conduct an audit of all sugar mills across the country to investigate matters related to benami accounts, dubious transactions and tax evasion.

A letter was sent to NAB for fixing responsibility on sugar barons according to the sugar commission report. The watchdog was also tasked with analysing various aspects of export subsidies given to the sugar mill owners against the law.

Six groups of sugar mills are the main beneficiaries in the scam, according to a forensic audit report. They are RYK owned by Monis Elahi and Umar Shehryar; JDW group owned by Jehangir Tareen, his son Ali Khan Tareen and Ahmed Ali; Sharif Group owned by Salman Shahbaz and Hamza Shahbaz; Hunza Group; Fatima Group; Al-Moiz Group and Omni Group.

The report said the groups were also major beneficiaries of Rs29 billion federal export subsidy since 2015, as RYK received subsidy of Rs3.94bn, JDW Rs3.05bn, Hunza Rs2.87bn, Fatima Group Rs2.3bn, Sharif Group Rs1.47bn, Al-Moiz Rs1.45bn and Omni Group Rs0.9bn.

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi chapter of NAB has arrested Dr Shafqat Ali and Luqman Mirani after rejection of their bail by the Supreme Court in a case of Baitul Noor Housing Society of Malir, Karachi.

After a transit remand, both accused persons will be shifted to NAB Karachi in order to obtain their remand as per the law, said an official source.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2020