Daily Times

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a corruption reference against Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah over alleged misuse of power in province’s energy-related projects, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday.

While making major progress in fake bank accounts case, the anti-corruption watchdog filed a corruption reference against the Sindh chief minister in an accountability court in Islamabad.

Murad Ali Shah is facing charges of misuse of power in disbursement of funds for energy-related projects in Sindh, according to the reference filed by the NAB. Murad Ali Shah and Abdul Ghani Majeed are among 17 persons nominated in the corruption reference by the anti-graft watchdog.

In October last year, it had emerged that Murad Ali Shah and over 12 provincial cabinet members are on the radar of NAB over corruption charges in separate cases. Some of the cabinet members had also been issued call-up notices in embezzlement cases by the watchdog besides summoning the record of income and assets of others from relevant institutions and departments.

An inquiry had been launched against Murad Ali Shah over alleged embezzlement in Roshan Sindh Programme and benami accounts cases, whereas former Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah and Nisar Khuhro were also wanted by the NAB in cases.

Separately, an accountability court on Tuesday summoned Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla on February 4 in corruption references. During the proceedings, the court approved fake bank accounts and illegal allotment of plots cases for hearing.

Meanwhile, the NAB on Tuesday revealed that it has seized all properties of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan in the illegal plot allotment case which also involves Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rehman. The anti-graft body’s investigation officer, Abid Hussain, informed the court that earlier orders have been executed in the case and the property has been seized. The court also fixed January 28 for Rehman’s indictment and summoned co-accused former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director-general Humayun Faiz Rasool at the next hearing.

According to the anti-corruption watchdog, Rehman had illegally acquired 54 plots, each measuring one kanal, at Canal Bank in H-Block of Lahore’s Johar Town in 1986 in connivance with then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif. Under the LDA rules, the exemption could be granted for 15 plots only. However, 54 plots were exempted in a single block on Nawaz’s approval. Under the exemption policy, 70% of the land was supposed to remain with the LDA but it was never transferred.

Meanwhile, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s wife, Nusrat Shehbaz, approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday, challenging an accountability court’s orders wherein her arrest warrants were issued and she was declared a proclaimed offender. The court had also dismissed her plea seeking exemption from court appearance. The LHC has been requested to declare the impugned order of November 2, 2020 illegal and having been issued without lawful authority, and set aside further proceedings in the interest of justice.

In her petition, filed through advocate Amjad Pervez, Nusrat Shehbaz has contended that the prosecution – the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – argues that she was the benamidar owner of various properties on behalf of her husband, and aided and abetted him in committing the offence of possessing assets beyond means and money laundering.

The PML-N leader’s wife has termed the prosecution’s accusations as ‘false and frivolous’, further stating that the anti-graft watchdog has implicated her in the cases on mala fide intention at the behest of the federal government being headed by a political party considered the PML-N’s arch rival – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).