No NAB action ‘without substantial proof’

NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal tells Lahore DG to conclude mega cases on priority

LAHORE: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has issued directives to the Bureau’s director-general Lahore Saleem Shahzad to take the mega corruption cases to their logical conclusion on priority basis.

In a meeting with DG NAB Lahore Saleem Shahzad at the NAB Lahore office on Thursday, he said NAB was striving to achieve its dream of corruption free Pakistan. He added that an end to corruption was the top most priority of the bureau.

DG NAB Lahore Saleem Shahzad briefed the NAB chairman about the overall performance and also shared development in the mega corruption cases. The cases included 56 companies case, Paragon City scandal, Ashiana Housing Scheme scam and embezzlements in Punjab Police funds case.

NAB chairman said the bureau did not support media trial of any accused person. He requested the media to run news related to NAB after verification and refrain from speculations.

He said NAB did not take any action against an accused without substantial evidence. He shared that the accused persons in NAB custody were provided facilities according to the law.

He said there was no concept of intervention or leniency in the investigation process.

Meanwhile, NAB had started investigations for corruption in Primary and Secondary Health Department and Specialised Health Department. It has summoned rent details of luxury offices, go-downs and medicine stores hired by the departments. The departments had spent millions of rupees under the heads of payment of rents of these places.

According to details, Primary Health department was paying rent of 0.8 million rupees for its PMU office, 0.34 million rupees for its Procurement Cell, 0.5 million for Public Health Agency, Rs17 million for Medicine Store Sundar, go-downs in Manga, Thokar and Gurumangat Road.

The departments were spending Rs0.275 million for Health Facilitator Management Company, Rs0.295 million for PSP and Rs0.36 million for the office of TB Control Program Office.

A rent of Rs1.45 million was being paid for Project Mangement Office Gulberg of Specialised health, Rs0.7 million for Health Initiative Management Company and Rs0.65 million for Strategic Management and Internal Policy Unit’s office.