The golden boy: Gold bars recovered from Masoom Shah’s hideout

Former adviser to CM confessed to accumulating assets illegally.

PESHAWAR: All that is gold may not necessarily glitter – especially the gold bars discovered from the lockers of special assistant to former chief minister Syed Masoom Shah alias SMS.

The bars were discovered by NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday after their location was disclosed by the detained former special assistant.

Shah was arrested on charges of corruption and accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income. The accumulated wealth includes, a house and a hujra of a land of 12 kanals in his village in Battagram district, two plots in Hayatabad, two plots in Regi Model Town, the same number of plots in Defence Housing Authority in Karachi and one house each in Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Shah also accumulated a huge bank balance in local and foreign accounts and drove around in expensive cars.

The suspect and his family frequently visited the UAE where millions were spend during the trips.

Shah was presented before an accountability court and handed over to NAB for further interrogation. Shah confessed that he accumulated assets illegally and informed NAB about a hideout where he kept several kilogrammes of gold supposedly purchased through various corrupt practices.

NAB is actively pursuing this enquiry and more alarming facts are set to be revealed.

During the hearing of the case against Shah, Special Prosecutor Danyal Chamkani told the court of judge Tariq Yousafzai the former special assistant had submitted an application for voluntary return. It is still pending the NAB chairman. Chamkani said it was revealed that Shah allegedly made tours to UAE, Malaysia, UK and France on the expenditure of the government. He also conducted business with a private construction company in Karachi.

The court was requested to grant his physical custody for another 15 days so that all necessary information could be obtained. However, the court only agreed to 10 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2015.