LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched a new probe into the River Ravi Zone Front Development Project, tightening its noose around Ahad Cheema, the former director-general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) who is already under investigation in the Ashiana Housing Scheme scam.
The Ravi Project, started during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, allegedly employed services of a blacklisted company for a survey.
NAB, which filed a reference against Cheema in the Ashiana Housing Scheme case on Friday, has decided to issue fresh arrest warrants for the bureaucrat. The decision was made during a recent board meeting at the bureau.
Cheema is accused of awarding a contract of the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing project of approximately Rs14 billion to Lahore Casa Developers – a joint-venture which was ineligible for the contract – by misuse of authority and with criminal intent.
The anti-graft body had launched an investigation against the management, officers, and officials of the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC), management and owners of Lahore Casa Developers, officers and officials of the LDA after the government cancelled the award of the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme to the successful bidder M/S Chaudhry Latif and Sons.