ISLAMABAD - The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is reluctant to take action against two legislators of ruling party from Sialkot on corruption allegations, The Nation has learnt reliably.
The Executive Board Meeting authorised complaint verification against Member National Assembly Syed Iftikhar ul Hassan Shah and others over allegations of misuse of authority on September 16, 2016 and Member of Punjab Assembly Ch. Ikram and others in alleged corruption of Rs300 million on September 09, 2016. However, the NAB could not effectively probe the allegations against the MPs in almost last seven months.
According to available documents with The Nation, NAB Lahore referred the cases to NAB headquarters due to the involvement of a politician in last August.
Syed Iftikhar–ul-Hassan elected on PML-N ticket from NA-113 as MNA was alleged for misuse of authority and gaining illegal pecuniary benefits by way of using local administration, police and Building Control Authorities as tool for vested interests.
Chaudhary Ikram was elected member of Punjab Assembly on the ticket of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from PP-122 Sialkot and had also served as Chairman Surgical Instruments Manufacturer Association Pakistan (SIMAP). The documents also revealed that Hassan, through his secretary and Amjad Gill, invested a huge amount in a commercial plaza consisting of 500 shops in Dubai and built a rice mill at Sahuki worth Rs1,750 million, which are beyond his known sources of income.
Sources said that the Chief Executive Officer of Bhinder Surgical Company submitted complaint against the accused in NAB Bureau Lahore on June, 15, 2015. NAB regional Bureau also mentioned in its report that the complainant was supported with evidence against MPA. He had also provided internal audit report of Metal Industries Development, Centre, Sialkot, sources added.
The complainant said that the MPA and his assistants were involved in corruption through illegal purchase, repair and maintenance of machinery and award of tenders to their favorite companies which supplied under specification and substandard machines through fake documents of import involving approximately Rs300 million.
When The Nation contacted, Director General Lahore Major Burhan said that no case against MNA Syed Iftikhar Ul Hassan and MPA Ch. Ikram was in progress. He said that the case against Ch. Ikram on basis of audit report was sent to the concerned department for comments. The case has been dropped due to settlement, he added.
NAB sources said that the Bureau informs the complainant if it drops application on the basis of poor evidence.
Talking to The Nation, complainant Amir Riaz Bhimnder said that he submitted the application against MPA in NAB Lahore a few months ago and also submitted another application last week to speed up the investigation.
He said that NAB officials ensured him to take action against MPA on his application within few days but there was still no response. He said that he was following the case and the Bureau ensured him every movement that his application was in progress. There is no spokesperson of NAB to comment on the issue because ex-NAB spokesman Nawazish Ali Asim was repatriated to his parent department last week. Assistant Director Media Bilal Hassan said no one has been designated to talk to media or make comment on any development so far.