NAB to file two references against LDA, housing society officials

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore, has approved filing of two references against officials of the Lahore Development Authority ( LDA) and the Public Health Engineering Cooperative Housing Society for allegedly committing a fraud in commericialisation fee and illegal allotment of plots, respectively.

Presiding over a meeting of the Lahore bureau officials here on Monday, Director General Shahzad Saleem approved filing of the references in both the cases and upgrade of an inquiry in the Khadija Commodities Pvt Ltd case.

“The board decided to file a supplementary reference against (10 or so) LDA officials for misusing authority and gaining illegal advantages by corrupt means which caused financial loss to the national exchequer worth millions,” said a bureau spokesman, adding it had already filed an interim reference in this regard.

According to NAB, the LDA officials misused the government funds in connection with commercialisation fees, thus causing a loss of millions to national exchequer.

In the Public Health Engineering Cooperative Housing Society case, its former president Hafiz Sarfraz Anwar and former general secretary Malik Sajjad Haider allegedly cheated the public at large by allotting numerous commercial plots and misappropriating funds during the sale proceeds and also through illegal transfer of plots mortgaged with LDA.

NAB said both suspects in connivance with one another caused a loss to the society to the tune of Rs5.3m in electrification works.

The NAB board also decided to upgrade investigation against the owners of the Khadija Commodities Pvt Ltd following the allegations of cheating public at large. The suspects are accused of embezzling Rs270m.

According to NAB, suspects Qasim Bilal and Muhammad Arshad Elahi allegedly committed fraud with more than 900 people in the name of online investment.

“The Khadija Commodities defrauded over 900 people/investors depriving them of Rs270m,” it said. The suspects have been in NAB custody on physical remand.