Corruption charges: NAB makes arrests for illegal allotment of plots

Suspect transferred false documents to prospective buyers to render illegal gain

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi has arrested Ministry of Commerce Employees Cooperative Housing Society (MOCECHS) Deputy General Manager (DGM) Records Rameez Ahmed on charges of corruption. The suspect in active connivance with others has been found involved in corruption, primarily the illegal allotment of plots, embezzlement of society's funds, causing billions of rupees in losses to members and the public at large.

As per details, on Friday, the suspect remained involved in manipulation of balloting lists of society so as to render illegal gain to the would-be-buyers of the plots. He was also involved in collusion with other suspects responsible for the transfer of files on the basis of fake and bogus documents to the would-be-buyers of the plots.

The NAB officials produced the accused in the Accountability Court Islamabad. The judge of the court after accepting the request of NAB Rawalpindi granted 10 days physical remand. In the same case four other suspects namely MOCECHS President Rana Ghulam Farid, MOCECHS Ex-Vice President Syed Amir Hussain Shah, MOCECHS General Secretary Mazhar Hussain and MOCECHS Ex- Executive Member Development Committee Muhammad Akram Awan have also been remanded for seven days physical remand to NAB Rawalpindi in this corruption case.

Shalimar Recordings sends case to NAB

The Board of Directors of the Shalimar Recording and Broadcasting Company Limited (SRBC) has revoked the agreement between the SRBC and Sports Stars International (SSI) following gross violation of the clauses of the agreement by the later.

The violation of agreement has led to a default of nearly Rs580 million by SSI. Information and Broadcasting Division Secretary who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SRBC, has referred the matter to NAB for assisting in the recovery by initiating a case in accordance with the Section 9 (A) (VIII) Sub-Section 5R of the NAB Ordinance.

An Airtime Rental Agreement was signed between the SRBC and SSI in May 2005 for three years and extended multiple times till 2017. SSI was, by virtue of this agreement, bound to pay Rs37.5 million monthly to SRBC in addition to various taxes payable to the government.

However, despite repeated assurances given by SSI, it failed to pay the requisite amount and the arrears swelled up to Rs580 million. Consequently, it became difficult for the organisation even to pay salaries to its employees, besides carrying out their normal routine functions.  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2018.