FIA arrests NADRA chief after bail rejected

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested the National Database Registration Authority’s  director-general Tahir Akram after a local court rejected his request for pre-arrest bail on Thursday.

Akram is accused of involvement in the regulatory body’s building case and causing a huge loss of Rs31.24 million. Akram had apparently allowed the renting of a building for NADRA in a ‘non-transparent’ manner.

The agency said it recovered Rs5 million from the lost amount during investigations into the case.

Last year in October, the NADRA director-general was suspended on charges of gross violations of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in renting an office building.

The decision was taken by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan after the FIA submitted an inquiry report, detailing the shady nature of the contract and the exorbitant rent paid.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2017.