NAB summons Shehbaz in Ashiana housing scandal on August 20

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Mulsim League –Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif in relation to the Ashiana housing scandal, sources informed Geo News on Wednesday.

According to reports, the PML-N president has been ordered to appear before the accountability bureau on August 20 for the hearing of Ashiana housing scandal as well as the power company case.

Shehbaz has already appeared before NAB in the case while former Lahore Development Authority chairman Ahad Cheema is on judicial remand after having been arrested over the case. 

Last month the accountability bureau arrested senior bureaucrat Fawad Hassan Fawad in various corruption cases, including the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

Sources also revealed that Shehbaz was summoned after revelations made by Fawad during interrogation. 

The case

According to NAB officials, Fawad wrongfully awarded the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme'scontract to 'favourites', illegally ordered the shifting of nine CNG stations and also worked in a private bank from 2005 to 2006 without official permission.

Moreover, while being the provincial health secretary, Fawad acquired six mobile health units which were purchased at a higher-than-market rate, a NAB spokesperson said.

Fawad has served as former PM Nawaz Sharif's principal secretary and is considered close to the former premier. He was removed from the post of principal secretary on June 1 this year and was appointed director general of Civil Services Academy, Lahore.

The accused bureaucrat was also being probed by NAB for possession of assets beyond known sources of income.

According to NAB, the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons.

However, NAB says then Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his aides awarded the Rs14 billion contract to Lahore Casa Developers — a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by Railways Minister Saad Rafique.

Fawad, who was implementation secretary to the chief minister Punjab at the time, levelled charges of wrongdoings against Chaudhry Latif and Sons in order for the contract to be awarded to Casa Developers.