Ashiana housing scam: Former LDA DG Ahad Cheema remanded in NAB custody
February 22, 2018
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: An accountability court granted on Thursday physical remand of former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Ashiana housing scheme inquiry.
Cheema was presented before accountability judge Muhammad Azam, where the NAB prosecutor told the court that the accused distributed the contract of Ashiana housing scheme on the basis of nepotism.
Therefore, NAB sought a 14-day remand of the accused. However, the court agreed to a physical remand of 11 days.
The former director general of LDA was brought to the accountability court in an armoured vehicle under tight security, with a heavy contingent of police deployed in and outside the court.
The deputy commissioner of Lahore, DIG operations, SP headquarters and SP city were also present at the court.
The accused was arrested a day earlier under NAB ordinance’s schedule two as he did not appear before it when summoned on January 16.
Earlier, prior to the arrest, NAB warned Cheema that action will be taken against him if he fails to appear before the institution.
According to the ordinance, the anti-graft watchdog reserves the right to change an inquiry into an investigation, under which it can arrest the suspect.
Later in the day, NAB in an official press release, gave grounds for the arrest of the former LDA director general.
It said that the Cheema, by misuse of authority and with criminal intent, awarded a contract of the Ashiana-e-Iqbal project of approximately Rs14 billion to Lahore Casa Developers — a joint-venture which was ineligible for the contract — adding that Cheema received illegal gratification in the form of a 32-kanal land valuing Rs30.09 million approximately from the owners of Paragon City (Pvt) Ltd.
NAB has also questioned Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad in the probe.
Punjab bureaucracy worried: PTI's Fawad Chaudhry
Addressing the media outside the Supreme Court on Thursday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said Federal Railways Minister Saad Rafique is involved in the case as his brother owns Paragon City.
The PTI leader added that Cheema will spill the beans after he becomes a NAB witness, claiming that this has ruffled the feathers of the Punjab bureaucracy since the Lahore district commissioner is also involved.
