ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned incumbent Deputy Chairman of the Senate Saleem Mandviwala in the famous fake bank account case today (Wednesday).

According to NAB, Mr Mandviwala has to appear before investigators of the anti-graft watchdog at 11am to record his statement.

Mr Mandviwala was accused of being involved in allotment of illegal plots in the Overseas Cooperative Housing Society. He was also accused of giving payments for the plots from fake bank accounts.

NAB summoned Mr Mandviwala for the second time in the same investigation.

A letter issued to the Senate deputy chairman said: “Whereas you joined the proceedings before Combine Investigation Team (CIT-1) on 18-10-2019 in the subject matter whereby a questionnaire was served upon you and your request allowed 10 days’ time for response thereto. After a lapse of considerable period, this bureau is in receipt of your reply dated Feb 28, 2020 to the said questionnaire. Upon examination, your reply does not provide any elaboration or explanation whatsoever to the questions, thus appeared to be evasive.”

It further said: “In view thereof, you are once again called upon to appear in person before for submission of details reply to the questionnaire on July 1 and record your version in this regard.”

The NAB Rawalpindi arrested accused Mohammad Aijaz Haroon, former chairman of the Pakistan Interna­tional Airlines, in the same fake bank accounts scam.

According to NAB, Aijaz Haroon being chairman and secretary of the Overseas Cooperative Housing Society allegedly misused his authority by creating 12 fake plots files in the name of fictitious allottees.

The accused person also allegedly laundered unexplained money of Omni Group in grab of 12 fake plots’ files and receive illegal gains of Rs144 million approximately from two fake bank accounts namely M/s Lucky International and M/s A-ONE international.

NAB had shifted the fake bank accounts and money laundering case from its Karachi office to Rawal­pindi office last year. The bureau is investigating 172 important personalities, including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur, former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, provincial minister Anwar Siyal and Malik Riaz, in the case.

Their names were placed on the ECL, but the names of Mr Bhutto-Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah were later removed from the no-fly list on the Supreme Court’s directive.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2020