NICL scandal: Warrants issued for Amin Faheem, five others

Court orders FIA to make arrests by April 14.

KARACHI:

The federal anti-corruption court on Monday issued bailable warrants for the arrest of former commerce minister Makhdoom Amin Faheem and five other co-accused in the 2009 National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) land scam case.

Sanaullah Ghouri, the link judge of federal anti-corruption court, also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to arrest the absconders and present them before the court on April 12. Amin Faheem, former commerce secretary Suleman Ghani, NICL ex-director Amin Qasim Dada, former board member Javed Syed and two individuals – Khalid Anwar Khan and Amir Hussain – have been booked for allegedly causing financial losses to the national exchequer by violating procurement rules in the purchase of a piece of land in Korangi.

Submitting an interim charge sheet in the court, FIA inspector Siraj Panhwar revealed that during investigations by the agency it had been revealed that the six people charged under the case had been involved in the scandal.

Investigations further revealed that Rs41 million was transferred from the account of Khawaja Akbar Butt to the accounts of Amin Faheem and his family, informed Panhwar.

Asking the court to grant more time, Panhwar said that investigations were still ongoing and the suspects were yet to be arrested. However, in view of the interim charge sheet, link judge Ghouri issued bailable warrants for the arrest of the accused.

The court case is based on a written complaint by the former secretary of the commerce ministry, sent to the FIA on November 16, 2010, alleging financial embezzlement in the purchase of land by the NICL.

The secretary had requested the investigating agency to lodge a case regarding alleged embezzlement of NICL funds in the purchase of 10 acres of land in August 2009 in Korangi.

The secretary highlighted that the transaction had been made against Rs90 million per acre and requested the FIA to conduct an inquiry and fix responsibility on those involved. Subsequently, FIA’s commercial bank circle had lodged FIR 21/2010 under Section 409, 420, 468, 471 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act-II 1947 and initiated inquiry into what has now become one of the largest scandals to engulf the former government.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.