By: Kamran Ali Shah
PESHAWAR: Three detained suspects in the infamous Kohistan financial scandal have filed plea bargain requests in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to settle the case.
According to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sources, three suspects involved in the scandal have submitted plea bargain applications worth Rs 16.5 billion.
The suspects include National Bank cashier Riaz, contractor Ayub and Mumtaz. According to sources, the plea bargain applications have been sent to the NAB chairman after the approval of the DG NAB.
According to NAB sources, bank cashier Riaz has agreed to return Rs 10 billion, Ayub Rs 3.5 billion and Mumtaz Rs 3 billion.
The plea bargain applications have disclosed the bank accounts, properties, vehicles, gold and cash of the suspects along with other assets.
Sources say that the largest assets of bank cashier Riaz are in Islamabad and Abbottabad, including bungalows, plazas and other properties in Islamabad.
Read also: Court rejects bail of prime accuse Gul Rahman in Kohistan financial scandal
The accountability court in Peshawar rejected the bail application of Gul Rehman, the main accused in the Upper Kohistan scandal, and ordered him to be sent to Jail.
The accountability court heard the bail application of Gul Rehman, the main accused in the Upper Kohistan scandal and the cashier of the National Bank Dasu branch. The NAB prosecutor took the position that the accused Gul Rehman, along with his brother Muhammad Nawaz and his accomplice Muhammad Yahya, made illegal transactions and transferred money from the national treasury to private accounts by issuing checks without verification. According to the prosecutor, Gul Rehman’s role in this scandal was very important and he made transactions of Rs 361 million in specific accounts. The NAB team conducted an operation in Abbottabad yesterday and made an arrest in a corruption case of more than Rs 36 billion from a government account.
In this operation, Rs 200 million was recovered from her house on the identification of the female accused, who was the wife of Qaiser Iqbal, the main accused in the scandal. NAB had arrested Qaiser Iqbal, an employee of the C&W department, and his wife from Abbottabad and both the husband and wife are currently in NAB custody on physical remand from the court.
