KARACHI:: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi Friday decided to conduct four investigations after an inquiry against Sindh government functionaries and others for illegally allotting 307 acres of land to various beneficiaries.
The decision was made in a Regional Board Meeting held under the Chairmanship of Director General of NAB Karachi Mohammad Altaf Bawany at the NAB Karachi, said a statement here.
The board decided to make a recommendation to the NAB Chairman to authorize the NAB Karachi four investigations after an inquiry concluded against the Sindh government functionaries and others regarding re-alignment or construction of Malir River Bund for the purpose of housing societies and illegal allotment of land from within Malir River bed.
The inquiry recommended for the investigations which contain prima facie allegations of misuse of authority allegedly committed by 20 government officials including senior officers of Chief Secretary level and below along with various beneficiaries and front-men.
Preliminary calculation of loss to the national exchequer is calculated Rs.15.7 billion. The meeting was attended by Directors of three Investigation Wings and respective Investigating Teams of cases concerned. After thorough consultation some decisions were made which includes an investigation which was approved for filing of Reference against officers of District Accounts Office Dadu and others on the charges of embezzlement / misappropriation of pension funds allocated to District Dadu.
The Reference allegedly contains charges against Ghulam Mustafa Lund, Muhammad Nazir Bhutto both former District Accounts Officers of Dadu and others for corruption, misuse of authority for personal illegal gains and thus causing loss to the national exchequer worth Rs.736 million.
The accused persons have been charged for misappropriation of government funds by cultivating agents and other innocent persons holding CNICs and bank accounts by using their IDs and bank accounts for clearing of fake and bogus pension bills issued by them against bogus government employees of education and police departments.
It is worthwhile to mention that accused Ghulam Mustafa Lund had also entered in Voluntary Return (VR) u/s 25(a) of National Accountability Ordinance 1999 whereby he agreed to deposit in national exchequer an amount of Rs.356 million and still defaulting on remaining Rs.146 million. In another inquiry against Management of M/s State Bank Cooperative Society and officers of Revenue Department Sindh recommendation was approved to be made to the NAB headquarters for authorizing an investigation against management of State Bank of Pakistan Staff Cooperative Housing Society and officials of Revenue Department government of Sindh on the allegations of misuse of authority for illegal usurpation of government land situated at Taluka Shah Murid District Malir.
An inquiry was authorized against officials of Revenue Department government of Sindh on allegations of loss of 65 acres of government land situated at Scheme 33 District East Karachi of government usurped on the basis of forgery by Revenue officials in order to favour illegal beneficiaries.
Another investigation was authorized against the management of Hyderabad Railway Employees Cooperative Housing Society and beneficiaries of illegal allotment of 16 plots that belonged to Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
The NAB DG at the end of the Board Meeting said that the NAB is committed to initiating corruption cases on unequivocal lines.
He said that the NAB has been contributing effectively towards recovering government assets back to the government of Sindh particularly precious lands that have been subject to usurpation by forgery and other illegal means by government officials in connivance with private persons.
