LAHORE - The National Accountability Bureau Wednesday arrested former LDA director general Ahad Cheema in a corruption case.
The NAB arrested Cheema after he failed to appear before the combined investigation team (CIT) of the bureau despite repeated notices.
He was taken into custody by the anti-graft watchdog from the office of Punjab Power Company on the charges of illegally allotting land for a housing scheme in Lahore.
The NAB team would produce the accused before a court Thursday (today) to get his physical remand. Cheema was considered as a powerful officer of the Punjab government and is currently serving as the chief executive officer of the Punjab Thermal Power Ltd.
The NAB has been conducting an inquiry into the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC), Lahore Casa Developers, Lahore Development Authority and others. The Punjab government had also constituted its team to probe the allegations of corruption in the Ashiana Housing Scheme.
It is worth mentioning that the said team had also briefed the Punjab chief minister on the issue before his appearance before the NAB in January.
The Ashiana Housing Scheme was an initiative of the Punjab government to provide residential facilities to the people with low income. The government had allocated Rs 2 billion and had acquired 672 kanals of land near Darbar Baba Noor Shah for this purpose.
Monitoring Desk adds: According to a private TV channel, the arrest was made under NAB ordinance’s schedule two as the former LDA director did not appear before it when summoned on January 16.
Earlier, prior to the arrest, NAB warned Cheema that action will be taken against him under NAB ordinance if he fails to appear before the institution.
According to the ordinance, the anti-graft watchdog reserves the right to change inquiry into an investigation, under which it can arrest the suspect.
Later in the day, NAB in an official press release gave grounds for the arrest of former LDA director general. The anti-graft watchdog said that the inquiry it conducted so far reveals sufficient evidence to prove the involvement of Cheema in financial malpractices.
It said Cheema, by misuse of authority and with criminal intent, awarded a contract of Ashian Iqbal Project of Rs 14 billion approximately to M/S Lahore Casa Developers. a joint-venture which was ineligible for the contract, adding that Cheema received illegal gratification in the form of 32 Kanals land valuing Rs 30.090 million approx from owners of M/S Paragon City (Pvt) Ltd.
