LAHORE: The National Accoun­tability Bureau (NAB) has launched another investigation against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif to detect his ‘illegal’ assets.

“NAB Lahore has formed a team to detect Shahbaz Sharif’s illegal assets. It has written to the Federal Board of Revenue to seek his tax record for the last 10 years and to different banks for account details, Lahore Develop­ment Authority and Capital Develop­ment Authority (for property in his name) and the excise department,” a source told Dawn on Tuesday.

“NAB has initiated this inquiry on reports that he [Shahbaz] possesses assets beyond his known sources of income. During interrogation, when Shahbaz was quizzed about his assets’ details, he said his son Salman looked after the family business affairs. On this, Salman Shahbaz is summoned for Wednesday [today],” he said.

PML-N president’s son Salman told to appear before bureau’s combined investigation team today

In its notice to Salman, NAB said: “During interrogation accused Shahbaz Sharif has stated that all of his matters relevant to assets, income and expenditures are being looked after by you and you are acquainted with and in possession of such information/documents. You are requested to appear before a combined investigation team on Oct 10, 3pm, along with documents of all assets, properties including those sold out here or abroad, documents pertaining to sources of income, complete income tax returns and wealth tax returns, details of investments/shareholding in companies in and outside Pakistan.”

The bureau had on Friday arrested Shahbaz Sharif in the alleged Rs14 billion Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing project scam. He has been in NAB custody on a physical remand till Oct 16.

The former CM had allegedly cancelled the award of the project’s contract to successful bidder M/s Chaudhry Latif & Sons and instead obliged M/s Lahore Casa Developers (JV) — a proxy group of M/s Paragon City (Pvt) Limited — causing millions of rupees of losses to the exchequer.

The PML-N, however, defended its president, saying the NAB allegation against him about ‘misuse of authority’ regarding cancellation of the contract to the successful bidder had no legal basis. The Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) board of directors had awarded the contract to Latif & Sons and the then chief minister was legally empowered to cancel the contract on finding that illegality had been committed in the process, the PML-N said. “Mr Sharif is only answerable to the Punjab Assembly legally in this regard.”

Meanwhile, Mr Salman consulted a team of his lawyers and prepared his reply for NAB.

Mr Sharif is also facing investigation in the Saaf Pani Company scandal for allegedly awarding contracts in violation of rules. The PML-N said NAB had summoned him on Friday in the Saaf Pani Company case, but arrested him in the Ashiyana housing project case.

His son-in-law Imran Ali Yousuf, who is under investigation in the case, is said to be hiding in the United Kingdom. His elder son Hamza Shahbaz had also recorded his statement with NAB for chairing several meetings of the board of directors of Saaf Pani Company despite the fact that he was not even its member.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2018