Corruption allegations: NAB arrests ex-Gujranwala market committee head
Cheema accused of illegally allotting 25 plots during his tenure to family, friends.
LAHORE:
Punjab chapter of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Ghulam Mustafa Cheema, a former Gujranwala market committee administrator, for illegally allotting 25 plots amounting to Rs15 million during his tenure.
Cheema had allegedly allotted the plots to his family and friends. “The accused did not join the subsequent investigation and was absent from the proceedings for which he was declared a proclaimed offender by an accountability court,” a NAB official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media.
“During his tenure as market committee administrator, Cheema allotted 25 plots for shops from growers’ quota to his associates in a new fruit and vegetable market established on the Nowshera-Sansi Bypass Road, Gujranwala, causing a loss of Rs12.5 million to the market committee,” the official said.
The NAB official further said that the accused had also obtained two plots from the quota of wholesale dealers in the name of two firms owned by himself and his brother-in-law. “This was in clear violation of procedure laid down for allotment of plots. He illegally gained a monetary benefit of around Rs2.5 million,” the official said.
“Being a holder of a public office, he misused his authority to benefit himself and his associates for Rs15 million and caused a loss to the market committee,” he said.
In another raid, a NAB Punjab chapter team arrested Muhammad Yousaf Manj, brother of former MNA Munawar Hussain Manj, on charges of cheating people.
A NAB official said that Manj was a partner of Sharif Bhatti, a former police inspector, and Mohsin Bhatti in Rehmat Steel Mills Lahore. “Manj and his partners deprived investors of Rs130 million. They acquired raw material from the market for their factory, but did not pay for it,” the official said. “The suspects will be produced before a court on Tuesday (today) with a request for physical remand.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2014.
Punjab chapter of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Ghulam Mustafa Cheema, a former Gujranwala market committee administrator, for illegally allotting 25 plots amounting to Rs15 million during his tenure.
Cheema had allegedly allotted the plots to his family and friends. “The accused did not join the subsequent investigation and was absent from the proceedings for which he was declared a proclaimed offender by an accountability court,” a NAB official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media.
“During his tenure as market committee administrator, Cheema allotted 25 plots for shops from growers’ quota to his associates in a new fruit and vegetable market established on the Nowshera-Sansi Bypass Road, Gujranwala, causing a loss of Rs12.5 million to the market committee,” the official said.
The NAB official further said that the accused had also obtained two plots from the quota of wholesale dealers in the name of two firms owned by himself and his brother-in-law. “This was in clear violation of procedure laid down for allotment of plots. He illegally gained a monetary benefit of around Rs2.5 million,” the official said.
“Being a holder of a public office, he misused his authority to benefit himself and his associates for Rs15 million and caused a loss to the market committee,” he said.
In another raid, a NAB Punjab chapter team arrested Muhammad Yousaf Manj, brother of former MNA Munawar Hussain Manj, on charges of cheating people.
A NAB official said that Manj was a partner of Sharif Bhatti, a former police inspector, and Mohsin Bhatti in Rehmat Steel Mills Lahore. “Manj and his partners deprived investors of Rs130 million. They acquired raw material from the market for their factory, but did not pay for it,” the official said. “The suspects will be produced before a court on Tuesday (today) with a request for physical remand.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2014.