LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau has arrested Fawad Hassan Fawad, former personal secretary to prime minister in Ashiana Iqbal scam.
The NAB put the former PS to PM behind bars after he completed his statement. The bureaucrat’s arrest was confirmed by the NAB director general (DG).
Fawad had been summoned by the anti-graft body for questioning related to the case. He had appeared thrice before the bureau regarding the same case. He was removed from his post on June 1 and appointed as Civil Services Academy (CSA) DG. He is accused of illegally awarding the contract for the housing scheme to Lahore Casa Developers.
A NAB spokesperson also said that Fawad illegally worked for a private bank from September 2005 to July 2006.
The former PS to PM also caused the national exchequer to lose billions of rupees, further said the spokesperson, claiming that Fawad intentionally hid the case’s inquiry report.
The project was reportedly originally won by Chaudhry Latif and Sons. Fawad was implementation secretary to Punjab chief minister when the contract was awarded.
The anti-corruption watchdog is also probing Fawad in a matter pertaining to Fawad’s alleged ownership of assets beyond his means and alleged illegal awarding of CNG contracts.
Fawad had approved the contracts of at least nine CNG stations. Casa Developers is a proxy group of Paragon City (PVT) Limited (PCL).
PCL is reportedly owned by former railway minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Saad Rafique.
Furthermore, former Punjab CM and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had also appeared earlier before the bureau regarding the same case but also skipped several summonses. Moreover, former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) chairman Ahad Cheema was arrested earlier in the same case and sent on judicial remand.
