KARACHI: In major development during the ongoing investigation into allegedcorruption, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) traced nine more fakebank accounts used for embezzlement of pension funds by officials the Sindhfinance department, citing sources.
Besides detecting the new fake bank accounts, the anti-corruption watchdoghas also traced the system for embezzlement of government funds worthbillions through ‘fake pension (commutation) bills’.
Sources privy to the development told ARY News that Rs140 million had beendeposit the nine bank accounts from 2012 to 2017. The money was thentransferred to the accounts of Naveed Bajari, the former additionaldistrict account officer of District Accounts Office – Hyderabad, and hisfamily.
It emerged that Rs30 million had been transferred to Dubai from the fakebank accounts. Following the revelations, NAB had issued call-up notice toNaveed Bajari to question him on January 20, however, he did not appearbefore the investigators, sources added.
[image: nab fake bank accounts corruption pension funds sindh financedepartment]
Sources said that Naveed Bajari is an employee of Sindh Forest Departmentand relative of the prime suspect Salim Bajari in the pension corruptioncase.
Moreover, the probe team had also summoned other accused, Ashraf AliJanwari and Altaf Mangi, on the same day. Ashraf Ali Janwari had recordedhis statement, whereas, a foreign DAO Aslam Abro provided pension recordssought by the investigators.
[image: nab fake bank accounts corruption pension funds sindh financedepartment]
The bureau had earlier sought records from the provincial forest departmentregarding the suspects in the case. A combined investigation team hascontinued its probe into the pension scandal, sources said.Massive corruption in pension funds
Earlier on January 4, a high-level probe had exposed massive corruptionworth over Rs2.031 trillion in Sindh Finance Department by defalcationof governmentemployees’ pensionslink by theprovincial treasurer office.
The massive corruption worth over Rs2.031 trillion was made in term ofpensions of government employees as the money was transferred to the bankaccounts of the residents of Dadu and Johi town of Sindh from the treasureroffice.
The money was primarily transferred to the bank accounts of differentpersons belonging to ‘Dawach family’ during 2012 and 2017; as well as insome fake accounts and the bank accounts of a frontman of a prominentpersonality.
After getting the evidence, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hadissued notices to 54 accused including members of Dawach family. 30 accusedhad recorded their statements and submitted affidavits in the corruptioncase.
While recording the statements, the investigators found many of the accusedunaware about the opening of bank accounts and transfer of funds. Thedefalcated money had been transferred to 147 accounts of a bank, whereas,more than Rs1 trillion money had been transferred to 84 bank accountsbelonging to 22 members of Dawach family.
The huge amount of money had been released from the provincial financedepartment’s system with the help of a district accounts officer, saidsources, adding that a seven-member investigation team was also constitutedto ascertain the massive corruption allegations.