ISLAMABAD - Submitting a progress report in Supreme Court, Federal Investigation Agency has alleged involvement of former federal minister for labour and manpower, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, in the Rs40 billion EOBI scam.

During Wednesday’s hearing, FIA Director [Law] Malik Javaid Ahmad told the bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh that a summon had been issued at the available address of Masood Ahmed Chaudhry, the front man of Wajahat Hussain, to join the investigation and that the district coordination officer for Gujrat had been asked to forward details about property/assets of Ahmed.

The FIA report detailed that a request had [also] been forwarded to National Database and Registration Authority for provision of details about bank accounts, subscriber identity modules [SIMs] of the accused nominated in the FIR.

The bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh adjourned the hearing until 28.

According to the FIA report, record has been procured from Revenue Department according to which value of the land is Rs33,000 per marla. And the sale deed and other record show that the value of the land was mentioned as Rs5.28 million.

The report disclosed that a huge loss of Rs370 million was caused to pensioner's fund due to non-transparent purchase of Crown Plaza plot 5-A at F-7 Markaz, Islamabad. It added that an FIR was registered against former EOBI chairman Zafar Iqbal and others under U/S 384/409/109 of Pakistan Penal Code for receiving kickbacks and causing a loss to the state kitty.

The court was informed that Asif Azad, EOBI Director [Finance]; and Mian Wamiq Anwer, evaluator/owner of M/S Dimen Associates, were arrested whereas Zafar Gondal and Imtiaz Mehfooz were still absconding.

It was also told that Wahid Khursheed Kanwer and Muhammad Iqbal Dawood were under judicial custody whereas two others namely Najamul Saqib Siddiqui and Abid Mehmood were on pre-arrest bails.

The report maintained that some of the members of board of trustee had also been examined in the current matter, whereas evaluation of property had been carried out through NESPAK.

Statements of witnesses, including Asad Ullah Bhounr, AD EOBI (ii) Muhammad Afzal, AD EOBI (iii) Kashif Mumtaz, AD EOBI (iv) Kamran Fazal, Director EOBI (v) Rahim Nawaz, Manager Ops NBP Islamabad (vi) Khalid Umar, PRIMACO (vii) Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, PRIMACO (viii) Pervez Ahmed, DG Audit EOBI (ix) Suhail Ahmed, witness of agreement (x) Najad Hussain, Currency Dealer (xi) Nasim Talib, Ops Manager Bank Al Falah Islamabad (xii) Nayyer Mehmood, DG EOBI (xiii) Muhammad Younas, Sunrise Autos (xiv) Iqbal Haider Zaidi, Signatory of agreement (xv) Irfan Younus Property Dealer (xvi) Khan Muhammad property dealer and others, have also been recorded.

The report mentioned that a few properties of Zafar Iqbal Gondal former EOBI chairman inIslamabadand Mandi Bahauddin had been discovered and also attached, as per law.

It said that in the coming days, bank statements of all the accused involved in the scam would be obtained for forensic analysis and, in case of public servants, FIA would see to it if there was any case of living/assets beyond ostensible means. It would also issue diffusion notices with respect to the accused persons gone abroad.

It further stated that statement of seller of the property ie Rana Abdul Qayyum, who is also complainant of case FIR No.28/13 P.S. FIA / ACC Islamabad had been obtained. He had submitted a cheque of September 12, 2013, in the name of the Supreme Court registrar amounting to Rs37 crore and sixty lac, ie the differential amount between the actual market value of the property at the time of its purchase, as assessed by NESPAK, and the amount paid by EOBI to Abdul Qayyum for purchase of the said property.

The report said FIA Karachi had been requested to provide details of assets, bank accounts etc unearthed by them to collate the same with instant case.

"FIA Karachi has also been requested to forward forensic report of cell phone of the complainant Abdul Qayyum - detail / Records of EOBI Investment Account maintained with NBP Main Branch Karachi have been requisitioned through FIA Karachi', stated the report.

The complainant, Rana Abdul Qayyum, the owner of the plaza, had been asked to provide proof/documentary evidence regarding extortion of amount from him and furnish copies of complaints filed with local police, it added.

Property dealers namely Muhammad Khan & Irfan Younus have been examined, both of them are willing to pay back Rs3.1 million each extorted from Abdul Qayyum. The residential address of Qaiser Hassan, the alleged front man of Zafar Gondal, has been traced out and he has been summoned to join the investigation to thrash out his role. Subscriber's/Registration detail and CDRs of mobile phones has also been requisitioned from the concerned authorities.

“All the field directorates have been directed to ensure finalization of the investigation and enquiries strictly in accordance with law and purely on merits" the report concluded.