ISLAMABAD - National Accountability Bureau yesterday issued arrest warrants of Kamran Kiani, younger brother of former army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kiani in a multi-billion rupees Defence Housing Authority (DHA) scam, The Nation has learnt reliably.

According to the NAB sources, the Bureau issued three notices to key accused Kamran Kiani in the Rs 16 billion DHA scam and asked him to appear before investigation team. However, he ignored the notices.

This response led the NAB to issue arrest warrants of Kamran Kiani for completion of investigation within a time frame.

On the complaint of DHA officials, the national anticorruption watchdog had launched investigation against Hammad Arshad and Kamran Kiani due to their alleged involvement in the DHA mega corruption scam. The accused collected around Rs 16 billion from 26,000 people by deceiving them through a fake housing project.

The DHA City (Lahore) project was inaugurated in 2009 to facilitate the families of army martyrs, wounded and army soldiers by allotting them small or large size plots in recognition of their services.

Kamran Kayani of Elysium Holding and Hammad Arshad of Globaco offered their services to facilitate DHA Lahore to carry out the project by acquiring land but both failed to deliver  plots to  families of martyrs and general public after the lapse of seven years.

The sources said that the NAB had also sought the bank details of all main accused of DHA scam from State Bank of Pakistan. They said that NAB has decided blacklist Kinai’s firm and put his name on Exit Control List (ECL). A letter has been written to the Interior Ministry in this regard.

The senior NAB officials had visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) in the third week of April last and updated the top military leadership regarding the progress on DHA scam.

One of main accused Hammad Arshad is already in NAB’s custody. 

Talking to The Nation, a senior official informed that the Bureau has begun the preparation of corruption reference against Kiani and other accused. He said that he was not sure that Kamran Kiani is in Pakistan and the Bureau can ask Interpol to bring him back.

Kamran Kayani is being investigated along with civilian and military officials in DHA Valley (Islamabad) scam, he added.

Earlier, Brig (r) Amjad Parvez Kayani, another brother of former army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, clarified in a statement that the ex-army chief has nothing to do with his brother’s actions. When The Nation contacted NAB spokesman, Asim Ali Nawzish said that he was totally unaware about the specific development.