MULTAN: NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal has directed the NAB Multan to include the names of all the four of its officers instead of one of them in a reference which is under trial with the accountability court over the allegation of taking bribe by an accused and his family, Dawn has learnt.

The chairman issued the direction on Feb 25 after the NAB Multan sent the reference for approval to NAB headquarters while including the name of one officer, assistant director Ali Arslan, as accused, to which Mr Arslan challenged the development in the Lahore High Court.

He stated that as per the SOPs/operating methodology the functions of inquiry/investigation are carried out by a combined investigation team (CIT), and a CIT is collectively responsible for the completion of the inquiry/investigation.

He stated that on Feb 19, 2018, NAB DG Antique Rehman constituted a CIT, including him, to probe into the affairs of Tanveer Nusrat, food inspector. The CIT recommended upgrading the inquiry into the investigation, which was done on July 19, 2018.

During this, Tanveer and his brother Farrukh Mumtaz alleged the NAB officials demanded bribe through some private persons through a complaint, however, his name (Arslan) was not included in the complaint. The DG authorised an inquiry on June 14, 2019, against the private people which was later upgraded to an investigation by the DG on Dec 5, 2019.

Farrukh says the complaint against Mumtaz was lodged by the same investigation team which had allegedly taken a bribe to close a corruption case against his elder brother Tanvir Nusrat Warraich, the district food inspector of Bahawalpur.

In his complaint to the NAB chairman against the officers of the NAB Multan – Additional Director (staff) Ahmed Mumtaz Bajwa, assistant directors (investigation officer) Alim Liaquat, Arslan, and Faisal Manzoor – Farrukh stated that during wheat procurement season of 2017, Bajwa asked his brother to accommodate a person with 10,000 gunny bags.

Arslan stated that due to the difficulties of charge framing in the reference which is pending adjudication before the accountability court, Multan, the NAB issued a call-up notice to him on Dec 11, 2020, to appear before the CIT. He appeared before the NAB and submitted a written statement on Dec 21, 2020.

On Nov 20, 2020, the accountability court observed that the allegation in the reference was about receiving illegal gratification in the name of NAB officers but none of them was accused in the reference.

Talking to Dawn, the NAB chairman said he had directed the NAB Multan that all officers in the complaint be challaned.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2021