Fake agreements: NAB arrests five over illegal contract awards
Accountability court grants 12 days physical remand
PHOTO: National Accountability Bureau
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday made several arrests regarding illegal award of contracts for procurement of equipment through disreputable and non-registered firms, said a press release.
Former Worker Welfare Board (WWB) K-P head Aizazur Rehman and Finance Director Ibrar Hussain, former finance director Imran Wazir — presently the Provincial Housing Authority (PHA) KP finance director —, Ashraf Enterprises owner Akbar Awan, and Irfan Qureshi were arrested.
They are charged with awarding contracts for procurement of equipment such as generators and vacuum cleaners at exorbitant rates with total outlay of over Rs3.5 billion.
During investigations, it was learnt that the accused, Rehman, with mala fide intentions, delegated all his administrative and financial powers to prime accused Tariq Awan, the WWB secretary at the time of the awards. In connivance with other accused persons, he opened a secret bank account. All of the alleged illegal payments to supply firms were made through this account.
Imran and Abrar, both WWB KP finance directors, worked in connivance with other accused persons and issued cheques for payments to fraudulent contractors without any due diligence.
Awan and Qureshi illegally secured contracts at exorbitant rates through connivance of WWB officials, the press release adds. Some firms were unregistered and did not have any prior record of supplying any government department, while most were fake and did not exist on the ground.
Several accused including Tariq have already been apprehended by NAB and the KP bureau is actively pursuing the case. The accused were presented before an accountability court which granted 12 days physical remand into NAB custody.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2015.
Former Worker Welfare Board (WWB) K-P head Aizazur Rehman and Finance Director Ibrar Hussain, former finance director Imran Wazir — presently the Provincial Housing Authority (PHA) KP finance director —, Ashraf Enterprises owner Akbar Awan, and Irfan Qureshi were arrested.
They are charged with awarding contracts for procurement of equipment such as generators and vacuum cleaners at exorbitant rates with total outlay of over Rs3.5 billion.
During investigations, it was learnt that the accused, Rehman, with mala fide intentions, delegated all his administrative and financial powers to prime accused Tariq Awan, the WWB secretary at the time of the awards. In connivance with other accused persons, he opened a secret bank account. All of the alleged illegal payments to supply firms were made through this account.
Imran and Abrar, both WWB KP finance directors, worked in connivance with other accused persons and issued cheques for payments to fraudulent contractors without any due diligence.
Awan and Qureshi illegally secured contracts at exorbitant rates through connivance of WWB officials, the press release adds. Some firms were unregistered and did not have any prior record of supplying any government department, while most were fake and did not exist on the ground.
Several accused including Tariq have already been apprehended by NAB and the KP bureau is actively pursuing the case. The accused were presented before an accountability court which granted 12 days physical remand into NAB custody.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2015.