NAB files graft case against ex-minister of Balochistan
The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Balochistan chapter has filed a reference in a Quetta accountability court against former provincial minister Sadiq Umrani on charges of illegally grabbing government land and obtaining financial benefits amounting to Rs 280 million.
The government had allotted 100 acres of land to the Clerks Association to form a housing society but it was illegally sold to Umrani at throwaway prices.
The accused illegally built a CNG station on the government land and continued availing financial benefits.
It is pertinent to note that former Tehsildar of Dera Murad Jamali Abdul Nabi, former president of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) Abdul Razzaq and Patwari Muhammad Jaffer were sentenced by an accountability court of Quetta to three years for selling government land illegally.
The anti-graft watchdog has now submitted a reference against former provincial minister in light of solid evidence.
On the other hand, the graft buster arrested Boat Manufacturing Company’s owners in a Rs1 billion corruption case.
The owners of Business Engineering Trend namely Hamza Bin Tariq and A.J Marines owner Amir Shehzad were nabbed on Thursday after the go-ahead was given by DG NAB Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal.
Earlier, NAB also arrested Balochistan Fisheries Director-General Munir Moosani and former Secretary Coastal Development and Fisheries Afab Ahmed Baloch on charges of corruption of over Rs1 billion.
The accused incurred colossal loss to the national exchequer in the purchase of green fiberglass boats, sea ambulances, patrolling boats and vessel monitoring systems.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2020.