Daily Times

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested another accused in Ashiana Housing scheme case on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Shahid Shafiq and partner of the Bismillah Engineering firm, is accused of collaborating with several LDA officials to provide forged documents to obtain contract of the housing scheme.

According to the authorities, the consortium consisting of three firms namely Bismillah Engineering Services, SPARCO Construction Company and China First Metallurgical Group illegally acquired the contract worth Rs 14 billion.

NAB also said that the three companies were presented as a consortium via help of forged documents. It added that the accused was arrested after reports of him trying to flee the country surfaced.

On Thursday, an accountability court granted physical remand of former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Ashiana Housing scheme inquiry.

Cheema was presented before accountability Judge Muhammad Azam, where the NAB prosecutor told the court that the accused had distributed the contract of Ashiana Housing scheme on the basis of nepotism.

Therefore, the NAB sought a 14-day remand of the accused. However, the court agreed to a physical remand of 11 days.

The former director general of LDA was brought to the accountability court in an armoured vehicle under tight security, with a heavy contingent of police deployed in and outside the court.

The deputy commissioner of Lahore, DIG operations, SP headquarters and SP city were also present at the court.

The accused was arrested on Thursday under NAB ordinance’s schedule two as he did not appear before it when summoned on January 16.