Fawad avoids appearing before NAB probe team

LAHORE: Secretary to the Prime Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad opted not to appear before the Lahore chapter of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday.

The bureau asked Fawad to appear before a combined investigation team (CIT) on Friday at 11am in the Ashiyana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam, but he did not turn up till the end of NAB’s office time.

During the previous hearing, he was unable to give satisfactory responses to NAB queries. Subsequently, he was handed over a questionnaire.

NAB accused him of using his political clout in awarding the contract of Ashiyana-e-Iqbal scheme, a public-private venture initiated by the Punjab government to provide subsidised housing to the poor, to Casa Developers, instead of the lowest bidder.

Casa Developers, it is learnt, was not eligible for the contract. This led to a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer, NAB contended.

According to NAB, Fawad possessed vital information regarding the case.

During its investigation, NAB arrested six accused, including former DG of Lahore Development Authority Ahad Khan Cheema. Two accused had decided to become approvers. Ahad Khan Cheema and Shahid Shafiq, the proprietor of Bismillah Engineering, were also sent on judicial remand after a 90-day physical remand.

During the probe, NAB found that Cheema played a decisive role in awarding of the contract to Casa Developers in return for a 30-kanal piece of land. NAB also found Cheema of possessing assets beyond his means.

Hassan was not the only one to skip NAB summons.

On May 24, MNA Hamza Shahbaz ignored a NAB summons in the Saaf Pani Company case.

He had appeared before a NAB team on May 21. The team had also handed him a questionnaire and asked him to appear again on May 24.

On May 21, Shahbaz Sharif’s son-in-law, Imran Ali, also ignored NAB’s summons in Saaf Pani case. On May 20, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was summoned by NAB in Raiwind Road corruption case, but he chose not to appear.

NAB had also summoned federal Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, asking him to appear on June 21 and Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique on June 22 in the Paragon Housing Scheme scam.