Fake accounts case: JIT unearths corruption in Sindh development funds

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has found a new financial irregularity in Sindh development funds for the last 10 years while investigating fake bank accounts case.

Sources privy to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said that a new link of corruption was unearthed by the joint probe team in connection with fake accounts case.

It emerged that the funds allocated for development projects in Sindh province were submitted into fake bank account between 2010 to 2012, sources revealed.

According to details, the money was withdrawn from the national treasury under the quota of Member of National Assembly (MNA) and Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) in the name of development funds.

The funds were apportioned for various developments projects in Matiari, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Shikarpur.

JIT sources said that the corruption was made through counterfeit development work on the same scheme for four times in various districts of Sindh.

The legislators could be summoned by the investigators for probing into misusage of developments funds for transacting through fake bank accounts.

NAB sources said that a separate reference will be filed against transaction of development funds through benami accounts.

Earlier on April 10, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had claimed major success during its anti-money laundering campaign by tracing six benami accounts with over eight billion rupees transactions.

The Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue has registered a case against four traders of the city, officials said.

The four traders accused of around Rs. 1.26 billion tax theft within a span of five years, FBR officials said.

The case has been registered against Zor Talib Khan, Ammar Khan, Mohammad Hassan and Mohammad Hamza, who have been registered with addresses of Karachi’s Saddar mobile market and district Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The tax authorities have issued the Rs. two million bailable warrants of the each accused, officials said.

According to the FBR accused trader Zor Talib Khan is proprietor of M/s Salar Enterprises and Salar Mining. He had opened six benami accounts during year 2012 to 2017, the officials said.

Over eight billion rupees bank transactions made in six bename accounts during the five years, FBR officials further said.

The tax officials said that most of the businesses of the accused were in Karachi, but when Zor Talib Khan was issued a notice over the matter, he expressed his ignorance about it.