Daily Times

An accountability court on Monday sent the accused in Saaf Pani Company scam, to prison on judicial remand.

The corruption case hearing of Saaf Pani Company was held at an accountability court of Lahore, where the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) maintained that the accused Qamarul Islam is charged for illegally awarding the contract of 84 water treatment plants on exorbitant rates.

“A company named KSB Pumps was reportedly given this contract by Qamarul Islam,” NAB prosecutor added.

The anti-graft body stated that former chief executive officer of Saaf Pani company Waseem Ajmal, who is among the accused, tampered the documents of the company after bidding of the project.

He also unlawfully installed eight filtration plants in Tehsil Dunyapur, NAB told the court.

The NAB claimed that the appointment of Wasim Ajmal as the chief executive officer of Saaf Pani Company was also not on merit.

The court later adjourned the hearing and sent the accused to the prison on judicial remand.

NAB has so far summoned a number of high profile people in the case including Punjab Finance Minister Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Member of Provincial Assembly Waheed Gul and Hamza Shehbaz in connection with a probe into the Saaf Pani Company scam.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had taken a suo motu notice pertaining to non-provision of potable water to the people of Punjab.

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed had earlier conceded before the Supreme Court that a single drop of water couldn’t be made available to the people of the province despite the government having spent Rs 4 billion amount on the Saaf Pani Project.

Published in Daily Times, August 14^th 2018.