ISLAMABAD - The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has forwarded three names to the Supreme Court to pick out one of them for the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in Panama Leaks case.

Interestingly, of the three recommended officers, two are facing internal inquiries, The Nation has learnt.

Well placed sources told The Nation that the NAB on Wednesday forwarded names of Hasnian Ahmed, a grade-21 officer, working as Director General Headquarters; Numan Aslam, a grade-20 officer,  working as Director  NAB Gilgit-Baltistan, and Rizwan Khan, a grade-19 officer, working as Director NAB Rawalpindi divison.

The sources said that a special committee constituted by the apex court last month under the chair of Secretary Establishment Division has issued show-cause notices to Hasnain Ahmed and Numan Aslam asking them to present themselves before the committee in cases related to illegal appointments in the NAB.

On the order of the apex court, the NAB has already relieved some officials who were illegally inducted in the anti-graft body in the past.

The sources further claimed that Hasnain Ahmed is also close to the Punjab chief minister and also served as DG NAB Lahore. According to the sources, the Punjab chief minister had also recommended his name for the slot of DG NAB Rawalpindi in the past.

The sources said that Hasnain Ahmed is not in the good book of NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhary due to his poor performance. Previously, the NAB chairman also refused his requisition as DG Civil Aviation. 

Last year, during the hearing of a suo motu case regarding illegal appointments in the NAB, Supreme Court judge Amir Muslim Hani raised question over the appointment of Hasnain Ahmed and remarked the authority did not provide a complete profile data of officials and the court-martialled episode of Hussain Ahmed was kept hidden from the court.

“The court was not informed that Hasnain Ahmad who had been court-martialled was working against a senior post,” the judged had remarked.

According to the sources, Numan Aslam, who was working as Sub Divisional Officer in WAPDA before joining NAB, also has not a single investigation to his credit during his career in the NAB in the last few years. The sources claimed that Aslam has been posted as Director NAB GB as a punishment.  According to the sources, he also has good links with top government officials in the power corridor.

The sources further said that Rizwan Khan is a well reputed and experienced officer in the Bureau and has conducted investigations into several mega corruption cases including the rental power plant case. Rizwan joined the NAB in 2003 and he was the topper of his batch.  

On April 20, the Supreme Court bench that handed down the Panama leaks case verdict had asked the NAB, FIA, ISI, MI, NBP and SECP to forward names of three officers each for their nomination in the JIT which will investigate Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his two sons in the Panama leaks case.

After receiving the court order, the NAB chairman chaired a meeting and finalised the names of the three officers. The Nation tried to contact NAB spokesperson Asim Ali Nawazish over the phone and through text messages to get his version on the issue but he did not respond till the filing this report.