The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Babar Awan, Sharif-ud-Din Pirzada, Malik Muhammad Qayyum and Ali Waseem to join the investigation in connection with allegations of bribing court officials to give a verdict in favour of Sheikh Afzal, principal accused in Bank of Punjab (BoP) Rs 9 billion loan scam.
It is learnt that NAB would start investigating the matter from next week. All those who were alleged to have taken money from Sheikh Afzal have been called by NAB to join the investigation. Afzal, Chief Executive of Haris Steel Industry, Lahore, had fled the country despite being on Exit Control List (ECL).
However, when produced before the Supreme Court after his arrest from Malaysia on November 24, he alleged that Dr Babar Awan took Rs 35 million, Sharif-ud-Din Pirzada Rs 10 million, Malik Qayyum, then Attorney General, Rs 20 million, and Ali Waseem took Rs 7.5 million for bribing court officials to give a verdict in his favour.
In addition, Afzal had alleged that he had given Rs 400 million -Rs 500 million to Hamesh Khan, former president of BoP, Rs 30 million to Aziz Ahmed, control risk manager of the bank, Rs 50 million to Haroon Aziz, Rs 10 million to Shoaib Qureshi, Rs 40 million to Saleem Mirza, Treasury head of the bank and Rs 5 million to Fazeel Asghar, Chief Commissioner Islamabad for helping him flee despite being on the ECL.
Hamesh, despite being on ECL, had also managed to flee the country from Peshawar. On Friday, the apex court bench was informed that Hamesh has been arrested from the USA and would soon be brought back. On November 22, the NAB had recorded a statement of Fazeel Asghar, Chief Commissioner, Islamabad, wherein he confessed to have dropped Sheikh Afzal at Lahore airport in his own official vehicle bearing green number plate and that he remained at the airport till Sheikh Afzal's immigration.
In his statement, Fazeel had said that he, Sheikh Afzal, was his friend, and there was an exchange of gifts between them in the past. "I had been helping Afzal in solving problems that he encountered in various government departments", he maintained. According to the statement, Fazeel had also approached the Investigation officer, NAB, Aftab Ahmed, seeking a favour for Sheikh Afzal during his tenure as District Co-ordination Officer (DCO), Nankana. The NAB had submitted the statement of incumbent Chief Commissioner Islamabad to the Supreme Court, and the court has issued directions for legal action against him.
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