Daily Times

LAHORE: The Ashiana Housing Scheme case was on Tuesday heard in the presence of Ahad Chema, former Director General (DG) of Lahore Development Authority (LDA), and Chief Executive of Bismillah Engineering Services Shahid Shafiq.

Chief Engineer LDA Asrar Saeed and two officers of Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) Imtiaz Haider and Arif Majeed Butt also appeared before the court.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation officer argued that Ahad Cheema had done fraud and used his authorities illegally in Ashiana Housing Scheme.

He also added that Shahid Shafique had received the contract of the Ashiana Housing Scheme through fake documents and other accused were also involved in the fraud.

Earlier, Ahad Cheema was suspended as thermal power plant CEO for a period of three months.

NAB had also sanctioned fresh investigation on the Ahad Cheema’s ‘assets beyond means’ for which a team was formed.

Earlier, shahid Shafiq was handed over to NAB  on a physical remand till March 5 in the same case.

Shafiq was arrested when Ahad Cheema identified his fraud and it was discovered that Rs 14bn contract had been granted to Bismillah Services despite the company being a C-4 category subsidiary company of Paragon City. NAB has also gathered details regarding mobile phone calls and emails of Ahad Cheema while the graft body had also sought experts’ help to recover the data.

Cheema was taken into custody by NAB from the MM Alam Road in Lahore over corruption accusations of accepting 32 kanal land as a bribe. He had not appeared before the NAB despite several summonses.

Afterwards, opposition leaders had staged a symbolic walkout in the Punjab Assembly against Cheema’s promotion.