NAB owes Sindh Rs300m recovered in plea bargains: CM

Bureau received money from food dept officials under plea bargain and voluntary return

KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed his officials on Tuesday to recover Rs300 million from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that it has received from various food department officials under plea bargain and voluntary return.

Chairing a meeting of food department at CM House, he asked Chief Secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon to send a reminder to NAB for recovery of this amount.

"This is our money, which should be provided to us without any delay," he said while directing the chief secretary.

During the meeting, the CM was informed that NAB had started inquiry against some district officers who had embezzled the amount. These officers returned the amount to NAB, but the latter is not giving this money to the province.

NAB had introduced a voluntary return drive to encourage Sindh government officials to return the money they earned through corruption and misappropriation of funds. However, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court has restrained the NAB chairperson from exercising his powers to approve voluntary return of embezzled money on October 25.

The meeting was also informed regarding the wheat sold by Sindh government to Balochistan government in 2006-2007. Despite the passage of 10 years, the Balochistan government is unwilling to pay the amount. "Former CM Qaim Ali Shah had written off the amount of Rs600 million in 2011 asking Balochistan government to pay the remaining dues soon, but all in vain," an official who was present in the meeting said, adding that the CM will talk to his Balochistan counterpart if the issue is not resolved soon.

Apart from this, the officials of the food department also drew the CM's attention to the outstanding dues that the revenue and relief department has yet to release to the food department. The food minister, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, was of the view that his department had provided the wheat during floods, but the revenue and relief department has not cleared the outstanding amount.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2016.