Multi-billion-rupee scam: SP linked to Canal Motors fraud dodges law
Police officer registered fake cases against NAB investigators, witnesses and scam victims.
LAHORE:
A superintendent of police (SP) alleged to be a prime suspect in the multi-billion-rupee Canal Motors (CM) scam, and who has till now managed to evade the law, registered fake FIRs against investigation officers (IOs) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab, witnesses and even victims to deflect the pressure, reveal official documents obtained by The Express Tribune.
Despite the fact that the Punjab police and NAB inquiry officers implicated former SP Sadar Division Mansoorul Haq in the scam, no action has been taken against him apart from posting him out as an OSD. Former SP Lahore Coordination Sohail Akhter Sukhera, a close friend and other police officers misused their powers to ‘intentionally mislead’ inquiry officers.
NAB requested Home Secretary Punjab to provide security to its officers investigating the CM scam since Haq and his accomplices are victimising IOs and their families. According to the bureau, first Ahmed and later Allah Rakha were targeted. Haq had a case registered against NAB Assistant Director Waqas Ahmed and IO of Canal Motors scandal on charges of abduction and gang rape when he recorded the statement of prime witness, Muhammad Umair last year. A few days later, a fake case was also registered against Umair. According to the letter, this is tantamount to ‘hampering the investigation’ which is a serious offence under section 31(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Inspector General (IG) of Police Punjab.
Member Board of Revenue, Punjab, Ubaid Rabbani Qureshi, is conducting the investigation against owner of CM Lahore, Rana Qaisar Nazeer and others. But the victims are unhappy that the inquiry officer belongs to grade 20, whereas according to Umair a grade 22 officer should have been entrusted with the job.
Scam victims Muhammad Saleem Maitla, Syed Badarul Hassan Rizvi, Mian Imranul Haq, Sohail Nisar and Muhammad Umair have recorded their statements before the inquiry officer. They sent an application to federal secretary establishment, copies of which were dispatched to chief minister Punjab and inquiry officer Ubaid Rabbani Qureshi. To favour Haq, BOR officials tampered with the original address on the summons to keep Umair from appearing before the board.
Despite the fact that AIG Punjab Chaudhary Tanvir Ahmed and Assistant Director NAB have submitted their findings to the authorities, no tangible action has so far been initiated against the SPs, excluding the suspension of two SHOs and an officer in-charge of the investigation.
Not a single penny has been returned to over 200 families who fell for the scam. According to the NAB inquiry report, the accused were confronted with nearly 172 claims.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.
A superintendent of police (SP) alleged to be a prime suspect in the multi-billion-rupee Canal Motors (CM) scam, and who has till now managed to evade the law, registered fake FIRs against investigation officers (IOs) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab, witnesses and even victims to deflect the pressure, reveal official documents obtained by The Express Tribune.
Despite the fact that the Punjab police and NAB inquiry officers implicated former SP Sadar Division Mansoorul Haq in the scam, no action has been taken against him apart from posting him out as an OSD. Former SP Lahore Coordination Sohail Akhter Sukhera, a close friend and other police officers misused their powers to ‘intentionally mislead’ inquiry officers.
NAB requested Home Secretary Punjab to provide security to its officers investigating the CM scam since Haq and his accomplices are victimising IOs and their families. According to the bureau, first Ahmed and later Allah Rakha were targeted. Haq had a case registered against NAB Assistant Director Waqas Ahmed and IO of Canal Motors scandal on charges of abduction and gang rape when he recorded the statement of prime witness, Muhammad Umair last year. A few days later, a fake case was also registered against Umair. According to the letter, this is tantamount to ‘hampering the investigation’ which is a serious offence under section 31(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Inspector General (IG) of Police Punjab.
Member Board of Revenue, Punjab, Ubaid Rabbani Qureshi, is conducting the investigation against owner of CM Lahore, Rana Qaisar Nazeer and others. But the victims are unhappy that the inquiry officer belongs to grade 20, whereas according to Umair a grade 22 officer should have been entrusted with the job.
Scam victims Muhammad Saleem Maitla, Syed Badarul Hassan Rizvi, Mian Imranul Haq, Sohail Nisar and Muhammad Umair have recorded their statements before the inquiry officer. They sent an application to federal secretary establishment, copies of which were dispatched to chief minister Punjab and inquiry officer Ubaid Rabbani Qureshi. To favour Haq, BOR officials tampered with the original address on the summons to keep Umair from appearing before the board.
Despite the fact that AIG Punjab Chaudhary Tanvir Ahmed and Assistant Director NAB have submitted their findings to the authorities, no tangible action has so far been initiated against the SPs, excluding the suspension of two SHOs and an officer in-charge of the investigation.
Not a single penny has been returned to over 200 families who fell for the scam. According to the NAB inquiry report, the accused were confronted with nearly 172 claims.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.