NAB hunt widens in RDA scam probe

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has placed 27 officials from the Rawalpindi Development Authority under investigation following allegations of Rs27 million in embezzled funds.

The crackdown has intensified, with reports suggesting that the spouses of several officers have also come under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the employment of Stenographer Jahangir Ahmed, who admitted to misappropriating Rs13m and entered into a plea bargain, now appears to be in jeopardy.

In a detailed judgment, Accountability Court Judge Sheikh Ijaz Ali (Rawalpindi) — acting under Section 15 of the NAB Ordinance, 1999 — declared Jahangir Ahmed ineligible to hold any public office for 10 years and prohibited him from obtaining loans from any financial institution during the same period.

Copies of the verdict have been forwarded to the Punjab government and the Director General of the RDA, paving the way for the convicted official's likely dismissal. The court has also directed the submission of an implementation report.

During the plea proceedings, the convicted stenographer provided NAB investigators with detailed records showing how the misappropriated funds were transferred from official RDA accounts to the personal bank accounts of various officers, their spouses, and brothers.

Following the recent arrests and the acceleration of inquiries in this mega corruption scandal, several RDA officials — once seen arriving at work in luxury vehicles — are now reportedly leaving their cars at relatives' homes or car showrooms and commuting by motorcycle in an effort to evade NAB surveillance.

NAB's investigation team has issued summons notices to all officers of the Finance and Administration Departments linked to the early stages of the fraud, creating unease and unrest within the RDA.

It has also emerged that millions of rupees were recovered from the personal accounts of the brother of an RDA officer who allegedly took his own life. NAB investigators are expected to present evidence before the court next week, and the arrested brother has reportedly been offered a plea bargain.

According to NAB sources, the embezzled funds were channelled into the accounts of officers' relatives, all of whom have now been formally included in the investigation. Each has been issued a questionnaire requiring them to explain the transfer of such substantial sums into their accounts.

The sources further revealed that NAB is obtaining comprehensive financial data from the relevant institutions concerning every account through which the RDA funds were moved. Further arrests are expected once the verification process is complete.