The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has tightened its noose around several influential people by filing as many as 13 references in high profile mega scandals in Accountability Courts in a matter of a few months. A NAB official told this correspondent that the bureau had filed references in majority of mega scams, including Rental Power Project (RPP), Oil and Gas Regulation Authority (OGRA), Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and Modarba scams.
However, he said the NAB investigators have not yet completed investigation into the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scam, in which former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has been cited as one of the accused. He said that so far NAB has filed six references in the Rs 22 billion RPP scam, in which former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is one of the principal accused. In the RPP scam, nine firms reportedly received more than Rs 22 billion as mobilisation advances from the government to commission the projects, but most of them failed to set up plants.
The official said that NAB has also filed two references in the Ogra scam. One pertains to corruption of Rs 82 billion implicating Tauqir Sadiq, ex-chairman Ogra and a top businessman. The second Ogra reference is on the illegal appointment of Tauqir Sadiq as chairman Ogra in which both the former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Yusuf Raza Gilani are accused.
He said the bureau has filed two references on corruption in PSM. These cases were transferred by the Supreme Court to NAB from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), he said. NAB has filed two references against Railway's officials, including ex-chairman Railways Sami-ul-Haq Khilji and ex-General Manager Saeed Akhtar, in corruption worth tens of millions of rupees.
The accused were accused of misuse of authority and embezzlement of Rs 578 million and Rs 351 million by awarding a contract of maintenance and procurement of spare parts of 69 Chinese locomotives to two Chinese firms. NAB also filed a reference of buying substandard weapons for a terrorism-hit KP police against former IGP KP Naveed Malik as well as others.
NAB has filed two references in a multi-billion Modaraba scam against 13 individuals on charges of corruption and cheating the public at large under the guise of an Islamic mode of investment. He said the accused convinced people in mosques and madrassas that the present banking system was un-Islamic and invited investment in Modaraba in cash. The major affected areas include the Hazara Division, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Malakand Division, Potohar Division and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, he concluded.