ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday approved to initiate inquiry against Captain (retd) Safdar for allegedly owning assets disproportionate to his income.
The decision to this effect was made at a NAB meeting headed by the bureau’s chairman Javed Iqbal.
The anti-corruption watchdog has also decided to probe Rs 9 billion allegedly given illegally to Safdar by the Cabinet Division under the Prime Minister’s Global Sustainable Development Goals Programme.
Safdar is already facing an inquiry and is named in one of the three references filed against the Sharifs in the wake of the Panama Papers verdict.
The bureau had started investigation into allegations of corruption against him in January too.
Safdar is accused of misappropriation of funds worth Rs2 billion in ongoing development projects in his constituency, NA-21 Mansehra.
Sources said that the complaint against Safdar was filed by a resident of the constituency.
The NAB had filed a total of three references against the Sharif family and another against the then-finance minister Ishaq Dar in the accountability court, in light of the Supreme Court’s orders in the Panama Papers case verdict of July 28.
The anti-graft body was given six weeks, from the date of the apex court’s order, to file the reference in an accountability court while the accountability court was granted six months to wrap up the proceedings. The corruption references against the Sharif family pertain to the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, their London properties, and over dozen offshore companies allegedly owned by the family.
Maryam and Safdar are only nominated in the London properties reference. At an earlier hearing, the court had approved Maryam and Safdar’s bail in the Avenfield properties case and ordered them to submit surety bonds worth Rs 5 million each.
Safdar was also directed to take the court’s permission before leaving the country from now on. The judge also provided a copy of the reference – spread over 53 volumes – to Maryam and Safdar.
NAB’s Rawalpindi branch has prepared two references regarding the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, and the nearly dozen companies owned by the Sharif family.
Its Lahore branch has prepared a reference on the Sharif family’s Avenfield apartments in London and another against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for owning assets beyond his known sources of income.
If convicted, the accused may face up to 14 years imprisonment and lifelong disqualification from holding public office, including the freezing of bank accounts and assets.
Published in Daily Times, March 27th 2018.
