LAHORE  -  National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday (today) in connection with the Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC) scam.

Sources in the Bureau said he had been summoned in the past also to appear before NAB Joint Investigation Team and answer the questions but he instead, sent a representative who submitted written answers to the Bureau's questions.

It is worth mentioning here that 56 public-sector companies formed by the Shehbaz Sharif administration in Punjab are under investigations in the NAB. These companies are facing charges of irregularities, recruitment in violation of procurement rules and merit, nepotism and non-completion of various projects on time.

Last month, NAB issued a notice to Shehbaz Sharif, directing him to appear before a combined investigation team of NAB Lahore in connection with the affairs of the Saaf Pani Company. He was also directed to bring the relevant record.

Instead Shehbaz’s representative Amir Afzal appeared on his behalf and submitted written replies to the questions asked by NAB.

According to NAB officials, Shehbaz was summoned because he, in his capacity as a chief minister, had approved the alleged illegal projects being run by the company.

When the former CM had not appeared before NAB in the past then he was summoned on June 25 to reply to its queries with regard to the Saaf Pani Company.

In April, the Supreme Court was informed during a hearing in the Saaf Pani Company case that despite Rs4 billion being spent on this project not a single drop of clean water has been made available to the citizens.

The company’s CEO had told the court that Rs300 million had been spent on the services of foreign consultants so far, an estimated amount of Rs150 billion had been allocated for the whole project, while 116 plants of clean water installed at a cost of Rs4 billion.