MULTAN: National Accountability Bureau Multan Director General Atiqur Rehman is among the 22 officers of different stations who will appear for personal hearing on Monday and Tuesday before a committee constituted on the Supreme Court order in connection with alleged inconsistent appointments in the bureau.

“It is submitted that in pursuance of judgment of Supreme Court of Pakistan dated March 31, 2017 in Suo Moto Case No 13 of 2016 and in accordance with section 8.02, 8.03 and chapter 11 of NAB’s Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS), the officers are advised to appear for personal hearing as per mentioned against each at 10am at Committee Room, Establishment Division, Cabinet Secretariat, Islamabad, if they so desire, along with supporting documents, if any, to satisfy the committee,” says the notice. It was issued to them on April 6 by Human Resource Management Division Assistant Director Coordination Hamza Nihal Tariq.

Mr Rehman has been directed to appear before the committee on April 9.

The Supreme Court had recently formed a committee to probe alleged illegalities in appointments, promotions, absorptions, deputations and contract appointments in NAB since 2002. Later, the committee submitted its report.

The report says the experience certificate of the Multan DG, issued by the Punjab Agriculture Department on April 1, 2004 does not indicate if Mr Rehman has any experience in investigations/inquiries/research/legal matters.

“Another experience certificate issued on Sept 9, 2003 by the executive district officer (EDO) of the City District Government, Lahore, shows his job specifications, among others, included the implementation of Industrial Statistical Act 1942 and registration of firms and societies.

“Yet another certificate issued on April 1, 2004 by a Lahore EDO indicates his research studies on sick/closed industrial establishments and so on.”

Mr Rehman served as assistant agriculture engineer in the agriculture department from March 15, 1987 to Dec 13, 1995 and deputy director in the Punjab Industries Department from 1995 to May 31, 2004. His promotion was withheld for five years in an inquiry in 2015 for not conducting investigation properly in a case against which he had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench when he was serving as director in NAB Multan office. The petition was dismissed.

The report further says Mr Rehman was charged on Feb 9, 2015 for inefficiency and misconduct under Terms and Conditions of Service 2002 in connection with the investigation of a case of cheating the public at large in the name of a housing scheme in 2013 and an inquiry committee was constituted in this regard.

Mr Rehman, it says, was serving as director investigation wing at NAB Lahore at that time. Six other officers were also chargesheeted. The officers concerned with mutual understanding did not arrest the accused while making excuse of a Lahore High Court judgment which barred NAB to not harass the accused and sent the case to the NAB headquarters to linger on the matter despite the fact that the same day (on Oct 28, 2013) Assistant Deputy Prosecutor General Accountability Haroon Rasheed Cheema opined that the arrest of accused does not amount to illegal harassment.

One of the accused moved the Supreme Court for bail. The court on Dec 11, 2014 observed that the orders of the LHC didn’t bar NAB from arresting the accused and directed NAB to take action against the officers.

On Feb 10, 2015, NAB submitted a report in court that charge sheet had been issued of seven employees and disciplinary proceedings against them are under way. Two of the five officers were exonerated by the inquiry committee.

On March 20, 2015, Mr Rehman was imposed the penalties of censure and withholding of his promotion to higher grade for five years. However he was given the acting charge of DG, a post of BPS-21, in his own pay scale charge of BPS-20 in violation of NAB rules according to which at least 22-year experience in legal matters, holding inquiry and investigations, prevention of white collar crimes and fraud investigation is mandatory to hold the office of the DG.

Sources say the post of DG is permanent and no acting charge can be given against it. Even after one year Mr Rehman is working as acting DG though he was penalised and his appointment is allegedly inconsistent.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2018