Tag: NAB

  • Imran Khan grilled for nine hours by NAB

    Imran Khan grilled for nine hours by NAB

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan faced intense questioning from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Adiala jail on Sunday in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK and Al-Qadir University Trust cases as per Geo news.

    Sources revealed that four distinct NAB teams conducted separate interrogations spanning over nine hours, delving into various documents and posing a multitude of questions to the former prime minister.

    The initial team, comprised of an assistant director from NAB Rawalpindi and a member of the Combined Investigation Team, spent approximately two-and-a-half hours investigating Khan.

    Subsequently, a two-member team continued the interrogation, focusing on the £190 million and Al-Qadir University Trust cases.

    Imran Khan is slated to appear in different courts in Islamabad on November 28 and 30 for separate cases.

    Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain of the Official Secrets Act special court mandated Khan’s presence on November 28 for the cipher case, while his appeal against the Toshakhana criminal case conviction is scheduled for a hearing on November 30 before an Islamabad High Court(IHC) bench.

    Despite the Islamabad High Court declaring his jail trial null and void, doubts persist regarding Khan’s appearance for an open trial on November 28 and 30.

    The 71-year-old, who has been in jail since August 5 following a three-year conviction in the Toshakhana case, had his sentence suspended by the IHC on August 29.

    However, a trial court subsequently ordered his rearrest in the cipher case and initiated a trial in jail.

    Khan is sceduled to appear in the special court at the Federal Judicial Complex on Tuesday (tomorrow) for a hearing of cipher case.

    The police, administration and other departments concerned would hold a meeting on Monday to finalise the security plan for him, according to Online.

    Sources said the Special Branch of the police and other relevant departments had started collecting classified information which would help them in planning security for the former premier.

    Police sources said there were three routes to bring Imran Khan to the FJC — one is Peshawar Road, the second is Islamabad Expressway and the third is Murree Road.

    According to sources, Peshawar Road would be the preferred option to bring Imran Khan from jail to the Judicial Complex. The Red Zone is likely to be partially sealed on Tuesday besides important installations in and around the area.

    Sources said the judicial complex would be surrounded by the police and paramilitary forces.

    Important points and roads leading to the judicial complex would likely be sealed. Troops are also likely to be deployed near important places of the capital like Faizabad Zero Point, Srinagar Highway and Red Zone.

  • Shehbaz Sharif is ‘innocent’

    Shehbaz Sharif is ‘innocent’

    Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with 10 co-accused, have been acquitted in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme reference by a Lahore accountability court, as per Geo News.

    The list of the acquitted individuals includes the incumbent federal minister Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hassan Fawad.

    The court, headed by Judge Malik Ali Zulqarnain Awan, reserved the verdict on November 2 after the conclusion of final arguments presented by counsels and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors on acquittal pleas.

    Acquittal applications contended that all prosecution witnesses and approvers had retracted their statements, signaling a lack of grounds for conviction in the reference. The applicants urged the court to approve the applications and absolve them of the charges.

    A report filed by NAB in May stated that there was no evidence of financial corruption or misuse of authority by Shehbaz Sharif. The allegations of misuse of authority and corruption against the former prime minister, according to the report, were not substantiated under the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999.

    NAB had filed the reference in 2018, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif and other accused had caused a significant financial loss to the national treasury by awarding the contract for the housing scheme to a construction firm without a competitive bidding process.

    Sharif was arrested on Oct 5, 2018, in connection with the case when he appeared before the accountability bureau in another matter while Cheema was taken into custody on February 21 of the same year. Both of them were later released on bail.

    Earlier, Kamran Kiyani, the brother of former army chief Ashfaque Parvez Kiyani, and Nadeem Zia of Paragon City were acquitted by the court due to a “lack of evidence”.

    The NAB alleged that Cheema received illegal benefits from the owners of Paragon City Developers as a reward for awarding the housing scheme contract to their proxy firm, Bismillah Engineering.

  • No relief for Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi

    No relief for Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi

    A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team, comprising of four members, conducted a thorough investigation at Adiala Jail, where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is currently detained in connection with a £190 million scandal, as per Geo News.

    The team, which included Mian Umer Nadim, Asim Munir, and Prosecutors Rooh ul Amin, and Haroon Baloch, spent over two hours scrutinizing the jail premises.

    After approximately one and a half hours of investigation, the team concluded its inspection and left the jail premises.

    The team will interrogate Khan for three days.

    Bail Rejected

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has recently rejected the post-arrest bail petition of former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case, directing the trial court to conclude proceedings within four weeks.

    The case accuses him, along with Imran Khan, of “unauthorisedly” communicating the contents of a classified document received from Washington, with unauthorised people i.e. the public at large.

    It is also alleged that Qureshi and Khan had a meeting on March 28, 2022 at Banigala, Islamabad, where a conspiracy was hatched to divulge the contents of the cipher for political advantage.

    The Chief Justice observed that the charges against Qureshi are punishable by death, and if proven, bail relief is typically avoided in such grave cases.

    Qureshi’s counsel argued that there was no evidence proving that Qureshi divulged classified information to the public. The trial of Qureshi and Imran Khan is currently taking place in Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, as notified on October 3.

    However, the counsel argued that the notification did not mention Qureshi’s name.

    The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) special prosecutor countered by stating that Qureshi had aided, abetted, and incited Imran Khan, making him liable under Section 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

    The prosecution emphasized that charges had been framed, and three witnesses had already given their evidence.

    Justice Farooq observed that under Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, liability of the person, who abets the commission of offence, is that of a principal offender.

    The court order stated, “Undoubtedly, bail ought not to be held as punishment but where sentence involved is death or life imprisonment, the court has to proceed with caution; in this regard, the balance is to be maintained that liberty of a person ought not be compromised but gravity of charge or allegation is also to be kept in view.”

    Subsequently, the court dismissed the bail petition, but directed the Special Court (Official Secrets Act) “to conclude the trial within four weeks from the date of receipt of this order”.

    Toshakhana Case

    In a related development, an IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri restored Imran Khan’s petition seeking bail in the Toshakhana case.

    Khan’s bail petition was dismissed by the accountability court for non-prosecution.

    The court revived the bail petition with a direction to hear Mr Khan’s arguments and decide it on merit.

    The bench, however, dismissed Mr Khan’s identical petition seeking bail in the 190 million pounds corruption case for being infructuous as NAB has already arrested the ex-premier in this case.

    The cases

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019.

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.

  • Bushra Bibi wants solitary meeting with Imran Khan

    Bushra Bibi wants solitary meeting with Imran Khan

    In a notable development, Bushra Bibi, former First Lady, and the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, has submitted a request to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission for a solitary meeting with her husband, reported Geo News.

    The request filed by Bushra Bibi in the IHC emphasises the legal constraints that hinder private interactions on domestic matters.

    The application states that the court has granted permission for meetings with Chairman PTI every Tuesday.

    It further states that discussions on personal matters are challenging in the presence of prison officials. 

    Bushra Bibi, in her plea, implores the court to issue specific instructions to the Superintendent of Adiala Jail, ensuring that solitary meetings are facilitated in accordance with legal provisions.

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and £ 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The £ 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019. 

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.

  • Arrest warrants issued for Imran Khan in two more cases

    Arrest warrants issued for Imran Khan in two more cases

    An Accountability Court in Islamabad on Monday issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in cases pertaining to the Toshakhana and 190-million-pound Al-Qadir Trust. 

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed an application to comply with the arrest warrants of Chairman PTI.

    Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing on the two cases where NABfiled an application seeking Khan’s arrest warrants.

    Judge Bashir approved the issuance of the warrants while directing the jail superintendent to take measures to ensure the warrants were complied with.

    Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, Prosecutor Irfan Bhola, Investigation Officers Mohsin, Waqarul Hasan, Mian Umar Nadeem, and others appeared before the court.

    The court asked the prosecutor what the High Court did in these cases.

    To which the prosecutor replied that the matter was pending, mentioning that the court neither suspended the order nor issued a standing order.

    The warrants are expected to be complied with in jail today. Imran Khan will be provided with a copy of the warrant as well as briefed about the reasons for his arrest.

    Sources said that the NAB has decided to immediately arrest Khan after the issuance of his arrest warrants, as per Aaj News.

    The anti-graft body is likely to arrest the PTI chief today from Adiala jail where a team including investigation officers of the Bureau will arrive to ensure compliance with the warrants, they added.

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Bushra Bibi in trouble

    Earlier today, former First Lady Bushra Bibi was summoned by NAB in a £190 million case, and as per media reports her arrest could be on the cards.

    Bushra was summoned at 2 pm to the NAB office in G-6 in Islamabad. Farhat Shahzadi, alias Farah Gogi, a former close aide of Bushra, has also been summoned in the same case today.

    Moreover, NAB also provided Bushra Bibi with an 11-point questionnaire in the Al-Qadir Trust case. 

    During her appearance in the NAB office, Bushra Bibi was questioned about Farah Gogi.

    The questionnaire given to her also included queries about her relations with Farah Gogi, the reasons for creating Al-Qadir Trust, whether she took any courses in jurisprudence or pedagogy, whether she continued to receive benefits from Al-Qadir Trust as a teacher, whether she was satisfied with Farah Gogi’s financial affairs and if Malik Riaz himself showed interest in Al-Qadir Trust or she contacted him. 

  • Nawaz gets relief as NAB refuses to arrest him: Court

    Nawaz gets relief as NAB refuses to arrest him: Court

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) said on Tuesday that former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif got relief because National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) refused to arrest the former PM.

    On October 19, the IHC granted a two-day protective bail to the former prime minister in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references.

    The decision was then followed by the IHC’s verdict on October 26, which restored Nawaz’s appeals against his conviction by accountability courts in the two cases and also granted him bail.

    The court restored Nawaz Sharif’s application against sentence in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases “due to explicit and unambiguous stance” taken by the anti-graft body of not objecting to the petitioner’s plea.  

    “Since the learned prosecutor general, NAB did not oppose the applications for the restoration/resurrection of the appeals, the applications are allowed and the appeals are restored with all legal consequences,” read the order by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.

    “These applications were allowed, and the appeals were resurrected. They are to be heard and decided by this Court on merits,” the court added.

  • Nawaz’s legal team files protective bail to prevent him from being arrested

    Nawaz’s legal team files protective bail to prevent him from being arrested

    The legal team of frmer prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif has filed a bail petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) to prevent officials from arresting him when he reaches Pakistan on October 21.

    Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender by IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases due to non-compliance. After that, he went to London in November 2019 for medical treatment with the permission of the court.

    An accountability court sentenced Nawaz Sharif for 10 years in 2018 in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references.

    His appeal against the sentence was rejected by an IHC bench comprising of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani for non-compliance.

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the sentence of the three-time former prime minister in Al-Azizia reference in 2019 because of his medical condition.

    Nawaz Sharif is also a fugitive in the Toshakhana case.

    His legal team has filed three protective bail applications, requesting that the IHC direct authorities not to arrest Sharif when he returns to country on October 21.

    After that, the court sent out a notice on Nawaz’s request for protective bail and requested an answer from the NAB by tomorrow.

  • Military officers appointed at NAB

    Military officers appointed at NAB

    In what is being called an effort to enhance the accountability process in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to revive corruption cases, the Establishment Division has officially assigned four military officers to various roles within the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), as reported by The News on Saturday.


    According to the notification, Brigadier Muhammad Khalid of Infantry has been appointed Director National Accountability Bureau in (BS-20), Lt Col Nadeem Muzaffar as Additional Director in (BS-19), Major Waleed Khalid of Military Intelligence as Deputy Director (BS-18), and Major Qais Kamran Syed of Military Intelligence as Deputy Director (BS-18).


    These military officers have been assigned on a temporary basis under the standard terms and conditions outlined in JSI-4/85, effective immediately. The notification was released following Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar’s approval.


    Reports indicate that, in addition to assistance from intelligence agencies, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also requested technical support from experts in various government departments such as the State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and others to aid in their investigation of white-collar corruption.

  • Director of Punjab Local Fund Audit alleged to be involved in corruption case of Rs400 million

    Director of Punjab Local Fund Audit alleged to be involved in corruption case of Rs400 million

    Amir Saeed, a Grade 17 officer working as the director of the Punjab Local Fund Audit Department at a Grade 20 level with the approval of the relevant authorities, is facing allegations of receiving kickbacks while supposedly conducting audits of different local government departments during his tenure from 2019 to 2022, SAMMA has reported. 

    The report indicates that Saeed used his position and influence to dishonestly obtain benefits from officials by employing various deceitful methods, such as making recommendations for officials to attend training programmes, handling pension disbursements, arranging transfers and postings, and manipulating record-checking procedures.

    Numerous complaints were filed against Saeed, accusing him of corruption and unethical practices. These complaints have been lodged with several authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Complaint Cell, the Anti-Corruption Establishment, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and various other forums.

    In spite of the allegations and the evidence put forward, no significant action has been taken up to this point.

    Nevertheless, an investigation into the accusations was initiated by the director general of the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment in 2022. This inquiry also failed to produce any outcomes, allowing Saeed to avoid being held accountable.

    At present, Amir Saeed holds the position of an auditor at Arfa Karim University, although his rank has been reduced from 20 to 17.

  • Officers of ‘spy agency’ will perform duties in NAB

    Officers of ‘spy agency’ will perform duties in NAB

    The top anti-corruption watchdog, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has decided to appoint intelligence agency officers to investigate high-profile corruption cases after Supreme Court’s decision of reopening graft references worth billions of rupees, Geo has reported.

    A letter has been written to the institutions, and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt has also approved that letter, sources have confirmed.

    According to the report, anti-corruption officials have also said that the officers of sensitive institutions will be appointed to key positions and will start working in a few days.

    The insiders also stated that vacant seats in NAB will be filled soon.

    A deputy chairman of the national anti-graft body and prosecutor general will also be appointed soon on a permanent basis, they added.

    The officers of sensitive institutions will perform duties in the NAB offices, as this way a strong and efficient intelligence system can be established in the institutions.