PM given clean chit in ‘Ashiana’ case

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday told an accountability court that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, neither misused his office being Chief Minister Punjab nor obtain any benefit from the government funds in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme.

The NAB submitted its reply on the acquittal pleas of Shahbaz Sharif and others in a reference against Shahbaz for awarding the contract of the Ashiana-i-Iqbal project without bidding by misusing his office as Chief Minister of Punjab and causing a huge loss to the national exchequer.

Acquitting the premier of the allegation of misusing his office, the report said that the offence is not established under the National Accountability Ordinance 1990.

The NAB said, “There may be some procedural flaws in the formulation of the request for proposal and the subsequent award of contract to M/s Lahore Casa Developers, and the same are not intentional or with malafide intent”.

“It has been established that no pecuniary benefit is obtained by any public office holder by misusing his official position,” the NAB added.

The NAB also cleared other co-accused in the case of any wrongdoing, including senior bureaucrat Fawad Hasan Fawad, former director general of the Lahore Development Authority Ahad Khan Cheema, and Kamran Kiani brother of former army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kiani.

Regarding the allegations against Kamran Kiani brother of former army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, the NAB said, “Accused Kamran Kiani was also not involved in causing any loss or embezzlement of the government funds.”

Discharging Fawad Hassan Fawad from the case, the NAB said that Fawad was not involved in receiving any bribe from Kamran Kiani.

Taking into account new and additional evidence, the NAB report said, “It is established beyond any doubt that there is no loss caused to the government exchequer.”

The NAB; therefore, requested the accountability court to acquit Prime Minister Shehbaz and others accused in accordance with the law.

The NAB gave a clean chit to the prime minister in Ashiana Scheme reference a little more than a week after he, his family members, and others were cleared in a money laundering case.

The NAB accused Sharif, of ordering the cancellation the contract Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme given to successful bidder Chaudhry Latif and Sons, which led to the subsequent award of the contract to Lahore Casa Developers, a proxy group of Paragon City Private Limited, resulting in a loss of Rs193 million.

NAB had also accused Shahbaz of directing the Punjab Land Development Company to award the consultancy services contract for the Ashiana-i-Iqbal project to Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab for Rs192m, while the actual cost was supposed to be Rs35m as quoted by Nespak.

Shehbaz, as well as, senior bureaucrat Fawad Hasan Fawad, former director general of the Lahore Development Authority Ahad Khan Cheema, and several others were later arrested in the case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023