Court allows NAB to seize assets of Shehbaz’s kin

Imran Ali Yousaf fails to appear before accountability court despite repeated notices

LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday granted the top accountability watchdog the permission to confiscate assets of Imran Ali Yousaf, the son-in-law of Punjab former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also in NAB’s custody in connection with a housing scam.

The permission was sought by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) through an application, filed by NAB Deputy Prosecutor Asadullah. The deputy prosecutor also presented his arguments before the court and also provided details of the assets and properties owned by Yousaf.

According to details, Imran Ali Yousaf owns a 2-kanal plot in DHA Lahore and shares in Ali Trade Centre at Lahore’s M M Alam Road. He also has shares in Ali Proceeds Foods, Ali & Fatima Developers, Ali & Company, Madina Feeds (Pvt) Limited and Ghausul Azam Developers.

Earlier, NAB during its investigations found that the accused had received Rs131 million as bribe from the Punjab Power Development Corporation (PPDC) CFO Ikram Naveed. He is also accused of getting Naveed appointed as the PPDC CFO.

Ikram Naveed is already in NAB’s custody. Before the case was taken up by NAB, the Anti-Corruption Establishment had also indicted Naveed for allegedly embezzling of Rs450 million.

The NAB had repeatedly summoned Imran Ali Yousaf to appear before a combine investigation team (CIT) to present his view, but the accused ignored NAB summons and later allegedly fled the country. The court later declared him an absconder.