ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has initiated proceedings against retired four-star general Ahsan Saleem Hayat and senior officers of the National Logistics Cell (NLC) on a complaint filed by an ex-major who had served in the same organisation.

Ex-Major Akram Raza had in 2015 filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, claiming that a number of military officers had been dismissed from service for running an illegal crude oil business that caused a loss of Rs20 million per day to the national exchequer. He was seeking his arrears and amount of the fine imposed on him by the military authorities.

According to documents attached with the petition, 17 individuals, including two lieutenant colonels, three majors, six soldiers of varying ranks and four civilians, were among those found guilty of embezzling oil and dismissed by the military authorities on Jan 26, 2005 for running an “illegal crude oil business”.

Major Raza had claimed that he was not part of the group of individuals who were dismissed, but the one who had actually pointed out the “theft and illegal sale” of crude oil and was arrested and detained for no reason.

In his petition, the ex-major said he got an FIR registered against the people involved in the scam, but the NLC administration kept on pressurising him to “cooperate with the crude oil mafia and on refusal was threatened [with] dire consequences”.

He has filed the complaint before the NAB chairman.

During the hearing on his petition on Sept 25, 2019, an LHC bench comprising Justice Shahid Mehmood Abbasi and Justice Tariq Abbasi directed NAB to proceed on the complaint in accordance with the law.

The ex-major was represented by counsel Inam-ur-Rahiem before the LHC.

It may be mentioned that the Islamabad High Court, while taking up a contempt of court petition against NAB for not proceeding against former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf in connection with a complaint against his alleged corruption, directed the anti-graft watchdog to dispel the impression of witch-hunting of the politicians only.

NAB had last month informed Mr Raza about scrutiny of his complaint. As per a letter issued by the bureau, the complaint has been referred to the directorate concerned.

In his complaint, the ex-major stated that he had served in Transport Battalion of NLC in Karachi as 2nd-in-command from December 2001 to January 2004 and then remained in the custody of different agencies till Feb 27, 2006.

He said he had informed then director general of NLC Maj Gen Khalid Zaheer Akhtar about the presence of the “crude oil mafia” as well as massive embezzlement in the purchase of 100 Hino buses, but ended up being placed under arrest and detained.

Gen Akhtar was one of the three NLC general officers who were found guilty of involvement in the NLC scam.

According to the complaint, the matter was taken up by Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, the then corps commander of Karachi, but to no avail. Gen Hayat, on the other hand after becoming the vice chief of army staff, approved his dismissal from service and also imposed a fine of Rs293,000 on him, said the ex-major.

He requested the NAB chairman to proceed against Gen Hayat and other NLC officers who had caused billions of rupees of losses to the national exchequer.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2022