NAB gives clean chit to PM Shehbaz in Ashiana Housing case

Celina Ali

Lahore: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has declared Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif innocent in a probe into the Ashiana Housing reference.

The anti-graft watchdog in its reports said it had not found any evidence against the premier regarding misuse of power and corruption in the case. It highlighted that the project did not incur any losses on the national kitty when it was launched, adding that Mr Sharif did not get any monetary benefits in it.

The evidence and records examined during the investigation showed that no any public office holder received illegal benefits in the project, it said. It said neither Kamran Kayani caused any loss to the national exchequer nor Fawad Hasan Fawad took bribe in award of contracts.

The bureau has submitted the report in an accountability court in Lahore hearing the graft reference against Shehbaz Sharif and others. The report was submitted in response to acquittal pleas filed by the suspects in the case.

The NAB pleaded the accountability court to issue its verdict on the acquittal pleas according to law.

In March, NAB witnesses testified before the court that the PML-N president was not guilty in Ashiana Housing Society reference. The witnesses said they had no knowledge of any illegal act committed in the project. They added that the bid had been opened as per rules and regulations, project had been signed and financed through finance committee and all the relevant documents were designed according to rules.

Layyah Deputy Commissioner Khalid Pervaiz, a NAB witness, took the stance that he worked as LDA director from 2013 to 2015. He said he had signed the Ashiana Housing Society implementation project. He further said he had recorded his statement before NAB’s investigation officer on March 6, 2018.

NAB’s second witness Mehmood Ahmad Sulehri said the LDA had constituted a committee on Ashiana Housing Society project and asked Nespak to nominate a senior member for the body. “Nespak nominated me as a member of that committee,” he added. The bid evaluation was properly done by a committee. It was then sent to a steering committee. He said he joined the investigation on March 9, 2018 and recorded his statement.

The court also recorded statement of witness Hussain Ahmad, a design specialist. He stated that he was working as design specialist in 2014. He said he had prepared proposal of the Ashiana Housing Society project. “I formulated standards relating to structure of the society. Three committees – bid opening committee, technical evaluation committee and financial evaluation committee – were formed,” he said.

Mr Ahmad said every bid was received under the watchful eye of cameras and properly signed by every member.