Daily Times

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has brought imperative development in a fragmentary inquiry over alleged embezzlement in funds of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).

The NAB has issued call-up notices to five NICVD officers for seeking records of 26 others officers including the head of human resources department and chief operating officer (COO).

As per details this inquiry was commenced when NICVD terminated Dr. Tariq Sheikh, who used to be Medical Officer in the Sindh Health department and also private secretary to a Sindh minister, Dr. Tariq was appointed the NICVD as Staff Officer in 2016. According to NICVD official record due to absence from duties and after fulfilling official formalities, servicing notices, reminders and final show-cause notice, he was terminated from the job in September 2020.

Earlier, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has also written to NICVD management to record their statement regarding misconduct and misusage of powers and irregularities in funds and asked the concerned authorities to reply the six questions.

According to the NAB officials, before this records and professional experience details have been required from the hospital’s chief operating officer (COO), whereas, a set of ‘eight questions’ was handed over the accused persons regarding their salaries and recruitment details.

The investigators will continue its inquiry into alleged embezzlement of funds in light of the ‘eight questions’ which aims to get details of academic and professional certificates, as well as salaries. Senior officers of the institute including Haider Awan and Dawar Hussain were also asked to submit their statement.

The officials informed that the officers have been directed to submit the records to a combined investigation team of NAB Karachi till November 16.

According to sources that blue-eyed officers were being privileged by paying huge salaries in the funded hospital adding that Haider Awan is drawing Rs1.8 million salary from NICVD.

“Haider Awan is also facing charges of being a ghost employee and working as the front-man of a significant personality of a political party”, sources added.

According to the NAB official that we received various complaints about allegations of corruption in various appointments, excessive salaries, and several other issues and due to non-cooperation of NICVD concerned for providing official records, the NAB team visited the NICVD Karachi to receive the official record.