Rs400m embezzlement: NAB arrests bureaucrats in housing scam

PESHAWAR:

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested former secretary housing, Zakiullah, presently working as a member of the Provincial Inspection Team and former director finance of the Provincial Housing Authority (PHA), Sharifullah, presently working as the Additional Accountant General Pakistan Revenue from Peshawar.

Both accused were produced before the accountability court of Judge Muhammad Ibrahim Khan on Saturday who handed them into NAB’s physical custody for seven days.

A statement issued by NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa informs that in 2012, PHA Peshawar acquired land for a project titled “Housing scheme for government servants and general public” at Moza Darwaza, Nathiagali at an exorbitant rate, causing a loss of Rs400 million to the national exchequer.

The approved site of the scheme was near the Ayubia-Nathiagali Road but PHA, allegedly with mala fide intentions, did not acquire the land approved by the authority concerned and instead purchased land away from the approved site at an extremely high rate. The land, which was worth Rs0.7 to Rs0.8 million per kanal at the original location, was purchased for Rs1.4 to Rs1.5 million per kanal through connivance of then top bureaucrats of PHA, including Sharifullah and Zakiullah, the statement reads.

On April 10, NAB arrested former PHA Director General Javed Ahmad, PHA Land Acquisition Collector Naveed Qadir and front man Muhammad Asif. All three are presently in Central Prison Peshawar.

The statement further reads that in the light of NAB’s interrogation, it was unearthed that the accused, Zakiullah, misused authority and facilitated the other accused in the embezzlement of Rs400 million and received kickbacks of more than Rs20 million.

Moreover, Sharifullah, being the PHA director finance at the time, assisted and abetted the other accused and received a share of Rs2.5 million for his services.

“The amount approved for acquiring the land by the government was Rs260 million whereas the accused took away Rs400 million from the national exchequer. Only Rs115 million was spent as compensation to landowners while around Rs285 million was embezzled by the accused,” the statement adds.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2014.