Lahore’s Ring Road on NAB radar
NAB orders inquiry into alleged financial irregularities in project
Ring road in Lahore. PHOTO: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BsMja_DhyJg/)
ISLAMABAD:
The Lahore Ring Road mega project has appeared on the radar of the anti-graft watchdog after its audit unearthed irregularities worth billions of rupees.
Taking notice of a report published in The Express Tribune, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has ordered an inquiry to fix responsibility for financial embezzlement.
The chairman directed the NAB Lahore director-general to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report.
Commenting on the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project, the NAB chief said that the issue was sub judice pending a decision and the inquiry would comply with the court orders.
According to The Express Tribune report, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) had detected financial irregularities of over Rs15.51 billion in land purchase alone while financial misappropriation of over Rs4.36 billion had been found in an overvaluation of land.
The highest amount embezzled was Rs42.38 billion of which no official records were available. However, the Punjab Communication and Works Department obtained a special audit report of the overall irregularities worth Rs59.39 billion.
The project was originally conceived some 25 years ago and a few studies were carried out on it over the period. The road, touted as an alternative transport route to ease the traffic load within the city, was designed and redesigned with a few alterations, keeping in view the political and economic interests of many of the rulers of the time.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the NAB chairman expressed his resolve to eradicate the menace of corruption from the country by pursuing the policy of “accountability for all” and observed that NAB would not see the ‘face’ but the case in any instance of malpractice.
The chairman said NAB was determined to bring the corrupt elements, proclaimed offenders and absconders to justice.
Hailing the performance of the graft-buster, Justice Iqbal said that in the last 27 months, NAB had recovered Rs153 billion from fraudsters and deposited the money in the national exchequer.
He said that 630 accused were taken into custody and around 600 corruption references filed in the accountability courts. He maintained that 1,261 corruption cases were currently being heard in 25 accountability courts in the country.
Justice (retd) Iqbal negated the impression that NAB was affiliated with any political party, group or person and stressed that it only followed the law of the land.
He reiterated that the ultimate aim of the national graft-buster was the recovery of the looted wealth.
Justice (retd) Iqbal said that the performance of NAB had been acknowledged by credible national and international institutions such as Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), Transparency International and the World Economic Forum.
He said that according to Gillani and Gallup Survey, 59% people in Pakistan had expressed full confidence in NAB.
The Lahore Ring Road mega project has appeared on the radar of the anti-graft watchdog after its audit unearthed irregularities worth billions of rupees.
Taking notice of a report published in The Express Tribune, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has ordered an inquiry to fix responsibility for financial embezzlement.
The chairman directed the NAB Lahore director-general to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report.
Commenting on the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project, the NAB chief said that the issue was sub judice pending a decision and the inquiry would comply with the court orders.
According to The Express Tribune report, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) had detected financial irregularities of over Rs15.51 billion in land purchase alone while financial misappropriation of over Rs4.36 billion had been found in an overvaluation of land.
The highest amount embezzled was Rs42.38 billion of which no official records were available. However, the Punjab Communication and Works Department obtained a special audit report of the overall irregularities worth Rs59.39 billion.
The project was originally conceived some 25 years ago and a few studies were carried out on it over the period. The road, touted as an alternative transport route to ease the traffic load within the city, was designed and redesigned with a few alterations, keeping in view the political and economic interests of many of the rulers of the time.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the NAB chairman expressed his resolve to eradicate the menace of corruption from the country by pursuing the policy of “accountability for all” and observed that NAB would not see the ‘face’ but the case in any instance of malpractice.
The chairman said NAB was determined to bring the corrupt elements, proclaimed offenders and absconders to justice.
Hailing the performance of the graft-buster, Justice Iqbal said that in the last 27 months, NAB had recovered Rs153 billion from fraudsters and deposited the money in the national exchequer.
He said that 630 accused were taken into custody and around 600 corruption references filed in the accountability courts. He maintained that 1,261 corruption cases were currently being heard in 25 accountability courts in the country.
Justice (retd) Iqbal negated the impression that NAB was affiliated with any political party, group or person and stressed that it only followed the law of the land.
He reiterated that the ultimate aim of the national graft-buster was the recovery of the looted wealth.
Justice (retd) Iqbal said that the performance of NAB had been acknowledged by credible national and international institutions such as Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), Transparency International and the World Economic Forum.
He said that according to Gillani and Gallup Survey, 59% people in Pakistan had expressed full confidence in NAB.