Reference prepared against Shehbaz, Fawad in Ashiana scam, NAB tells SC

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountablity Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court of Pakistan that it has prepared supplementary references against opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and former federal secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad in the Ashiana Housing case.

The anti-graft body's prosecutor told the three-member Supreme Court bench that its chairman has signed on the references, and they will be filed in the coming days.

Shehbaz and Fawad are under NAB's custody in the Ashiana Iqbal housing scheme case. The president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and leader of the opposition was arrested when he appeared before NAB to record his statement in the Punjab Saaf Pani Company case. 

The case

According to NAB officials, Fawad wrongfully awarded the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme's contract 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.