Sindh National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Director General Major General Haroon Sikandar Pasha on Thursday said that the Bureau has received a case against sacked Sindh revenue minister Imtiaz Shaikh. Talking to newsmen after a seminar on "Corruption in business sector & its eradication strategies" organised by the Sindh NAB, he said that Imtiaz Shaikh was accused of involvement in more than 20 cases, including illegal transfers of land, illegal assets within the country and abroad and kidnapping for ransom.
An inquiry has been initiated against Imtiaz in the light of the charges levelled against him and, if found guilty, action would be taken against him, the NAB director general said.
He said the NAB has also received cases against some police officers allegedly involved in various crimes. The NAB is inquiring about these cases, he added.
PPI adds: Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court on Thursday disposed of a petition seeking transfer of sacked provincial revenue minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh's trial from anti-corruption court to accountability court, Karachi. This came after confirmation by the national accountability bureau (NAB) that it was probing into corruption charges against the sacked minister for trial under NAB Ordinance.
NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Shaukat H Zubedi told SHC's division bench comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Azizullah M Memon that NAB was investigating the corruption case of sacked minister and it would be referred to the Accountability Court if it found falling into the jurisdiction of NAB Ordinance.
The court after statement of NAB counsel, observing NAB's assurance has satisfied the petitioner's counsel, disposed of the petition.
Imtiaz Sheikh along with his brother Maqbool Sheikh and other revenue officials were charged with illegal allotment of land in province, causing loss to national exchequer, and their cases were pending in Anti-Corruption court in Karachi.
Invoking constitutional jurisdiction of court, Moulvi Iqbal Haider sought transfer of cases of Imtiaz Sheikh from Anti-Corruption court to NAB. His counsel Sohail Hameed argued in the petition that section 16-A of NAB Ordinance conferred, on NAB Chairman, the jurisdiction to transfer case from any court of law to Accountability Court, whereas section 9 of Ordinance squarely applies to the loot and plunder of public exchequer. Therefore corruption case of sacked minister be transferred to Accountability Court, who looted public money to the tune of Rs 125 million.