LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Lahore has officially lodged a corruption reference amounting to Rs 1.2 billion against the Ch. Pervez Elahi family and several others, including ex-Chief Minister Punjab Ch. Pervez Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi, and Muhammad Khan Bhatti. The charges relate to the alleged misuse of authority and receipt of kickbacks in 116 development projects in Gujrat.
The NAB Lahore initiated an inquiry based on reported offenses of corruption and corrupt practices committed by the accused individuals, involving the misappropriation of funds in development schemes for the year 2022-23 in Gujrat. The accused, including Ch. Pervez Elahi, Moonis Elahi, and Muhammad Khan Bhatti, along with officers and officials of the Punjab Highway Department, are alleged to have received kickbacks, bribes, or commissions in 116 development schemes under “Supplementary Grants.”
The total estimated cost of these schemes was Rs 30.948 billion, and the accused allegedly received Rs 1.23 billion as kickbacks/bribes. The NAB asserts that the accused misused their official positions to gain illegal benefits for themselves, sanctioning development schemes against established rules and making advance payments without proper site work, in violation of the law.
The breakdown of the alleged kickbacks received by each accused person is detailed in the reference, with a total sum of Rs 1,230,505,198 involved in the corrupt practices.
During the investigations, Ashfaq Ahmed, a Sub-Engineer in Gujrat, confessed to his involvement in corruption and corrupt practices. He opted for a Plea Bargain with NAB, agreeing to return his illegal gains of Rs 50 million, which was duly approved by the Accountability Court in Lahore.
Additionally, during the investigation, Sohail Akram, Ex-Chief Engineer, and Mahr Azmat Hayat, Ex-Sub Engineer (XEN), became approvers against the prime accused persons.
Moonis Elahi, however, has been declared a Proclaimed Offender (PO) by the Accountability Court in Lahore, as he intentionally absconded abroad to evade joining the investigation. His accountant, Imtiaz Ali Shah, also absconded to avoid participation in the proceedings.
After concluding the investigations, the NAB Lahore’s Prosecution team, under the supervision of Director General (DG) NAB Lahore, Mr. Amjad Majeed Aulakh, filed a reference in the Accountability Court under section 18(g) r/w 24 (b) and cognizable u/s 9(a)(i)(iv)(vi)&(xii) of NAO, 1999, based on concrete evidence against the accused persons.
