File photo of NAB Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Zaman. PHOTO: AFP
Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Qamer Zaman Chaudhry resumed his duties on Thursday after receiving the go-ahead after following an inquiry about his alleged involvement in the National Insurance Company (NICL) scam.
According to sources, the NAB chief was given the all-clear by the organisation’s executive board in a meeting on Monday. The meeting was presided over by acting chairman Rear Admiral (retd) Saeed Ahmed Sargana.
The board also decided to convert the inquiry into investigation and asked the chairman to resume his duties in the absence of any concrete evidence against him, according to NAB Spokesperson Ramzan Sajjid.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court led by then chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry issued on November 22 a directive to register a case against and initiate an inquiry into Qamer Zaman Chaudhry’s dealings as well as other officials’.
As additional secretary in the ministry of commerce, Qamer Chaudhry allegedly played a role in illegal appointment of former NICL chairman Ayaz Khan Niazi who is suspected of involvement in the scam.
He was also accused of creating unnecessary hurdles in investigation of the Rs5 billion NICL scam during his tenure as interior minister when he removed the head of the investigation team, Zafar Qureshi, a senior FIA officer.
According to sources, Director General NAB Operation Zahir Shah investigated the case and found him innocent.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2013.
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