LAHORE - Former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif may have to answer about two dozen questions framed by the National Accountability Bureau, alleged misuse of authority by him being one of them.
He was asked some of these questions when he earlier appeared before the NAB, but his answers failed to satisfy the interrogators.
It is said that during his 10-day remand under a court order, the three-time former chief minister would therefore be again asked some of those questions.
One of the questions relates to the establishment of some five dozen companies in the presence of departments performing the same functions, and the constitutional/legal mandate behind them.
The need and the role of these companies had come under discussion even in the Supreme Court and the CJP had ordered the recovery of excessive salaries from the holders of offices in these companies.
In light of the NAB’s previous questionnaire, a copy of which was available with The Nation, some other questions Shehbaz may be asked are:
What was the core idea and need behind setting up the Punjab Land Development Company Ltd in the presence of various development authorities like LDA, FDA?
Do you agree that as per PLDC’s Articles of Association & Memorandum of Association and under the corporate Governance Rules about Public Sector Companies issued by SECP in 2013, only the Board nominated by the government and the CEO of the company are authorised to run a company’s affairs and no other entity or person, including the CM, has any legal mandate to meddle in its regular operation?
You chaired a meeting on 21-10-2014 at 97-H Model Town Lahore and directed PLDC to entrust the Ashiana Iqbal and Aashiana-e-Quaid projects to LDA. Two days later you directed PLDC for cancellation of Aashiana award to M/s Ch Latif and Sons through a written communication.
Both these acts amount to violation of rules as cancelation or award of any contract is the prerogative of PLDC BoD and its CEO. Your forcing the Board to endorse your decision resulted in loss of Rs193 million as the delay inflated project expenses. Later on, the PLDC had also to pay Rs5 million to Latif and Sons.
PLDC later assigned the project to LDA under your instructions. Whether the core functions of the company can be assigned to any other authority and that too under the instructions of CM?
The PLDC Board endorsed your orders while LDA director general was also present in the same board meeting. Was it not a case of “conflict of interest” and controlled decision making on the part of LDA DG?
Since LDA DG was part of the PLDC Board and could have provided all the requisite assistance then why the project was not allowed to be handled by the PLDC and was instead transferred from a competent forum to the unlawful, isolated and exclusive domain of DG LDA?
The LDA awarded the contract to a JV (joint venture) “M/s Lahore Casa Developers” (consisting of M/s Bismillah Eng, M/s Suparko and M/s Anhui Const, China) known to be a proxy setup working on behalf of M/s Paragon City.
No eligibility criteria was laid down for prequalification of firms, and M/s Bismillah - a “C-4” class company with a maximum limit of Rs100 million - was declared as qualified in a project of Rs12,000 billion.
LDA further manoeuvred the prequalification terms in as much as that all three members of JV were awarded same score of 33.33 percent whereas there actual sharing in JV was, like M/s Bismillah 90pc M/s Suparko 9pc and M/s Anhui 1pc.
Thus the name and profile of M/s Anhui were misused for wrongfully awarding maximum scores to M/s Bismillah, which was otherwise liable to be disqualified. Thus your decision to assign the project to LDA proved out to be detrimental to the interest of PLDC. Please comment!
The incapacity and incapability of Casa Developers proved later on, as they failed to even submit financial close for initiating the project. Despite this failure and their malicious, wilful and preplanned delay to benefit the neighbouring housing society M/s Paragon City, PLDC handed over 3,000 kanals land to them in sheer violation of project agreement - thus exposing the company to great financial loss.
The project launched in 2011 has not even commenced and the land is in occupation of Casa Developers. Can you estimate the escalation of cost of the project from 2011 to 2018?
Who is responsible for causing loss to national exchequer?
Who is liable to pay this loss?
Who is responsible for cheating 64,000 poor people/applicants of Aashina-e-Iqbal?
The affected applicants are waiting for any outcome since many years and their amount of guarantee totalling Rs715 million stands as loss, as, recovery of this amount from Casa Developers seems to be halted on account of various reasons. The PLDC could neither recover a single penny from M/s Casa, nor, it could get the possession of land back.
You, vide orders dated 18-1-2012 specifically, directed PLDC CEO to entrust consultancy services of Ashiana project to M/s Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab (ECSP). ECSP quoted an amount of Rs240 million as services charges to PLDC, however on objection of PLDC the said charges were surprisingly reduced to Rs192 million. On further correspondence by PLDC, revealing that NESPAK had quoted Rs35.704 million for consultancy services, ECSP shockingly agreed to charge Rs32.402 million approximately.
In this way you intervened in the affairs of PLDC as a result of which ESCP attempted to misappropriate huge sum of public money under the garb of service charges. Can you also explain whether ECSP being a government entity was providing the services at its own or the same were being outsourced to a private firm, thereby, trying to illegally benefit a private firm?
What are the reasons of failure of Aashiana project, as, even the foundation stone could not be laid despite lapse of 7 years?
You ordered cancellation of contract with Latif and Sons in a proactive manner on account of negligible violation of formalities, but apparently you did not take any action when Casa Developers committed serious default in completion of project in 2015.
Was it in your knowledge that Casa Developers are actually a sham company working on behalf of Paragon City?
Did you ever have any personal/private or official knowledge that Paragon is indirectly owned by Khawaja Saad Rafique?
Did any board member of PLDC or any other person ever inform you about the relationship of Casa and Paragon?
Did anyone from PLDC or LDA ever disclose it to you that Khawaja Saad Rafique is influencing the officers of PLDC and LDA for award of contract to Casa and later on to be lenient towards illegalities committed by said group?
These questions show the depth and extensive of the NAB investigation. Therefore the possibility of NAB seeking extension in the former chief minister’s remand to complete investigations cannot be ruled out.