LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Wednesday in a case pertaining to allegedly receiving Rs 50 million in "bribe" to force the Excise and Taxation Department to issue a liquor license to a private hotel in violation of the law.
The chief minister remained at the NAB headquarters for about an hour and 40 minutes and could not give "satisfactory" answers to the bureau's combined investigation team (CIT) probing the liquor case. According to information, the NAB has also accused Buzdar of purchasing properties through some front-men in South Punjab district.
In this respect, the anti-graft body handed over a 12-page questioner to the chief minister asking about the details of his personal and his family members' assets. Sources said Buzdar told the investigators that he was not "prepared" and sought some time to give answers to NAB queries.
"I am not prepared and I don't know anything. Give me some time to answer these questions," the sources quoted Buzdar as telling the investigators. On this, they said, the NAB asked CM Buzdar to submit all the documents by August 18 and allowed him to leave. They alleged that former Excise and Taxation director general Akram Ashraf Gondal has also submitted an application before the bureau to become an approver in the liquor case. On Thursday, the NAB had issued a call up notice to Buzdar asking him to appear before its combined investigation team on Aug 12. The bureau had asked him to bring relevant records regarding approval of the liquor license to a hotel in violation of the rules/law.
An under-construction hotel near Lahore airport had applied to the Excise and Taxation Department for obtaining L-2 liquor license without first obtaining registration and license from the Department of Tourist Services, Punjab, under the Pakistan Hotels and Restaurant Act 1976 and the Rules 1977 with a 4/5 star rating.
However, despite repeatedly pointed out by the excise department that the CM Policy 2009 does not allow such hotels to get L-2 liquor license, CM Buzdar allegedly ordered the department to issue the license to the hotel whose owner is an influential person. According to reports, a relative of Buzdar was subsequently given a sum of Rs 50 million for getting this job done.
It may be mentioned that a day before his appearance before the NAB, Usman Buzdar held a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan and informed the latter about the incident which occurred outside the NAB Lahore office and his case in the bureau.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020