The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will file a supplementary reference against Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in the Ashiana Housing case on Saturday (December 22).
NAB Chairman Justice retired Javed Iqbal has already given a green signaled to file the reference.
Shehbaz and Fawad are already under NAB’s custody in Ashiana Iqbal housing scheme case over charges that they spent development funds in violation of rules and regulations.
According to NAB, the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons but former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and his aides awarded the Rs 14 billion contract to Lahore Casa Developers – a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is allegedly owned by Railways Minister Saad Rafique.
As per law, it is illegal to make any agreement above Rs150 million with a single company, the NAB maintains.
“Fawad Hasan Fawad, who was implementation secretary to the chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif at the time, leveled charges of wrongdoings against Chaudhry Latif and Sons in order for the contract to be awarded to Casa Developers,” the anti-graft body claims.
It was due to the hired company’s incompetence that the project could not be completed in three-year duration which brought upon a loss of Rs640 million to the government, NAB officials added.
Published in Daily Times, December 21st 2018.
