PESHAWAR, Oct 19 (APP): In a major development in the Kohistan corruption case, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has arrested the main accused, Qaiser Iqbal, along with his wife.
From the very beginning, this scandal has been regarded as one of the biggest financial frauds in the country, involving the illegal withdrawal of over Rs 40 billion from the government treasury.
According to sources on Sunday, more arrests of influential individuals are expected in the coming days, which could expose further key figures in the corruption network.
NAB officials confirmed that Qaiser Iqbal and his wife were taken into custody immediately after being discharged from Abbottabad Medical Complex.
Investigations revealed that the accused, while serving as a clerk and later as a head clerk in the C&W Department, Upper Kohistan, misappropriated government funds in assistance with contractors and private individuals. During raids, NAB recovered gold, foreign currency, luxury vehicles, cash, original property documents and bogus cheque records from the suspect’s residence.
It was also uncovered that billions of rupees were withdrawn from the government account G-10113 through fake bills, fictitious schedules and forged cheques. The scandal reportedly involves officials from the C&W Department, District Accounts Office, AG Office and the National Bank of Pakistan, who collectively ran the fraudulent scheme for several years.
The NAB has already arrested several government officials, bankers and contractors, while the process of recovering properties worth billions continues. The investigation has now reached higher-level and official suggested that the corruption network may be linked to powerful circles beyond departmental boundaries.
The NAB vowed to bring all those involved to justice and recover every penny of the public funds looted from the national treasury.