Challenges ahead: New NAB DG takes charge at crucial time

Bureau dealing with scams worth billions of rupees.

PESHAWAR: Irfan Naeem Mangi took charge as the director general of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Monday. He replaced Shahzad Saleem.

NAB’s provincial chapter has been dealing with several high-profile cases, including a Rs7 billion weapon purchase scam and a Modaraba scam worth Rs2.7 billion.

Former K-P IGP Malik Naveed is suspected of being involved in the arms scandal, along with Ghazan Hoti, who is ex-chief minister Amir Haider Hoti’s brother. Naveed has been accused of misappropriating Rs1.8 billion.

Ghazan’s brother-in-law Raza Ali Shah is currently behind bars in this case, while former advisor to the CM Niaz Ali Shah was also accused of receiving kickbacks. Niaz managed to secure his release after agreeing to give back Rs20 million under the Voluntary Return (VR) scheme.

NAB investigation officer Inayat Khan and special prosecutor Lajbar Khan said Raza received Rs198 million from Arshad Majeed, a private weapons contractor. They said Raza kept Rs3 million while the rest of the money was allegedly handed over to Ghazan.

They also alleged that Niaz was the adviser on law and order to Haider Hoti and received Rs20 million in kickbacks from the weapons contractor.

The other high-profile case being handled by NAB is the Modaraba scandal in which Jamshed Khan, Abdu Sattar, Muhammad Daud Shah, Ahmed Iqbal and Abdu Samad are suspected of swindling the public out of Rs2.71 billion.

According to the reference filed before an accountability court, the five suspects founded the Life Medicine Company and collected money on the pretext of investing in a Modaraba scheme.

The suspects reportedly collected the money from people across the province, claiming their amounts would be returned with a considerable profit. However, the suspects fled with the cash.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2014.