Off the hook?: NAB prepared to exonerate key accused in BoP scam, say sources
NAB public relations officer said that allegations relating to favouring the accused were incorrect.
LAHORE:
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has managed to pave the way for the successful release of principal accused persons in the Haris Steel Mills case, also known as the Bank of Punjab (BoP) scam, sources revealed.
The accused likely to get relief include former BoP president Hamesh Khan and Haris Steel Mills chief executive, Sheikh Afzal.
In 2007, Haris Steel Mills had secured a Rs9 billion loan from BoP on the basis of bogus documents in connivance with its officials, including then president Khan. The properties used as collateral by the accused to secure the Rs9 billion loan from the BoP were far less valued than the loan amount.
Sources further revealed that Justice (retd) Jamshed has stepped down as chairman of a salvage committee, formed by the Supreme Court to ensure the recovery of the liable amount. The chairman resigned due to unwarranted interference by Afzal and some other ‘dubious’ circumstances, they added.
Firstly, the case Investigation Officer (IO) Aftab Ahmad was separated from the case, which was then handed to NAB deputy director Rao Amir Shahid, despite the Supreme Court’s reservations on Rao.
Former NAB prosecutor Haroon Rasheed Cheema was also unceremoniously removed from the case. Haroon had been conducting the prosecution with due diligence and was said to be giving a tough time to the accused.
Following this, legal expert Minan Hanif Tahir and special prosecutor Muneeb Ashraf Cheema had been assigned the task of pursuing the case, allegedly to favour Khan and Afzal.
However, Muneeb also followed in his predecessor’s (Haroon Rasheed Cheema’s) footsteps and followed the voice of his conscience.
Since the start of this case, permission had not been granted to investigators to make three accused – former branch managers of BoP – approvers against Khan and Afzal in order to save their skin and put the blame on lower staffers of the BoP as well as employees and relatives of Sheikh Afzal, sources revealed.
Two of Afzal’s employees as well as his relative and Khan’s brother-in-law Zahid Arif had deposited the liable amount in NAB’s account as a voluntary return, but the key accused persons as well as main beneficiaries have not made a voluntary return or plea bargain to avoid a conviction status.
One of the accused, former regional general manager (RGM), Shoaib Qureshi, tried to avail a plea bargain but his application has neither been accepted by NAB nor has it been forwarded to the Accountability Court for approval.
NAB public relations officer, Hafiz Muhammad Irfan, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that allegations relating to favouring the accused were incorrect, adding that the case was being dealt with strictly on the basis of merit.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2012.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has managed to pave the way for the successful release of principal accused persons in the Haris Steel Mills case, also known as the Bank of Punjab (BoP) scam, sources revealed.
The accused likely to get relief include former BoP president Hamesh Khan and Haris Steel Mills chief executive, Sheikh Afzal.
In 2007, Haris Steel Mills had secured a Rs9 billion loan from BoP on the basis of bogus documents in connivance with its officials, including then president Khan. The properties used as collateral by the accused to secure the Rs9 billion loan from the BoP were far less valued than the loan amount.
Sources further revealed that Justice (retd) Jamshed has stepped down as chairman of a salvage committee, formed by the Supreme Court to ensure the recovery of the liable amount. The chairman resigned due to unwarranted interference by Afzal and some other ‘dubious’ circumstances, they added.
Firstly, the case Investigation Officer (IO) Aftab Ahmad was separated from the case, which was then handed to NAB deputy director Rao Amir Shahid, despite the Supreme Court’s reservations on Rao.
Former NAB prosecutor Haroon Rasheed Cheema was also unceremoniously removed from the case. Haroon had been conducting the prosecution with due diligence and was said to be giving a tough time to the accused.
Following this, legal expert Minan Hanif Tahir and special prosecutor Muneeb Ashraf Cheema had been assigned the task of pursuing the case, allegedly to favour Khan and Afzal.
However, Muneeb also followed in his predecessor’s (Haroon Rasheed Cheema’s) footsteps and followed the voice of his conscience.
Since the start of this case, permission had not been granted to investigators to make three accused – former branch managers of BoP – approvers against Khan and Afzal in order to save their skin and put the blame on lower staffers of the BoP as well as employees and relatives of Sheikh Afzal, sources revealed.
Two of Afzal’s employees as well as his relative and Khan’s brother-in-law Zahid Arif had deposited the liable amount in NAB’s account as a voluntary return, but the key accused persons as well as main beneficiaries have not made a voluntary return or plea bargain to avoid a conviction status.
One of the accused, former regional general manager (RGM), Shoaib Qureshi, tried to avail a plea bargain but his application has neither been accepted by NAB nor has it been forwarded to the Accountability Court for approval.
NAB public relations officer, Hafiz Muhammad Irfan, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that allegations relating to favouring the accused were incorrect, adding that the case was being dealt with strictly on the basis of merit.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2012.