NAB exposes billions of rupees of embezzlement in Reko Diq case, arrests two
The National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan (NAB), after scrutinizing 30-year records, has claimed of exposing the elements involved in the embezzlement of billions of rupees in the Reko Diq case. The institution filed a reference against 26 people, including former officers of Balochistan government and international companies, at the approval of retired Justice Javed Iqbal, chairman of NAB, in the accountability court of Quetta.
NAB’s Rawalpindi arm also arrested two suspects in the case. The suspects, identified as Sher Khan and Muhammad Farooq, were arrested in Islamabad on Thursday.
NAB says that it has obtained irrefragable evidence against the accused, and said in a statement that the elements have caused irreparable damage to the national treasury of Pakistan and violated the national interests.
Due to these corrupt elements, Reko Diq, which was supposed to earn billions of rupees and strengthen the Pakistani economy, did not yield the intended results, the officials said.
The spokesperson for NAB in Balochistan said that the Chagai Hills Exploration Joint Venture agreement had been signed between the Balochistan Development Authority and Broken Hill Propriety, an Australian mining company, in 1993. Corrupt officials, he claimed, caused benefit to the company illegally.
NAB claimed in the statement that billions of rupees were given to the company by illegally amending the mining rules of Pakistan and the sub-agreements of the deal. The institution said that the accused confessed of taking financial benefits in this regard. Other serious irregularities were also committed by the officials of the revenue department in allotment of land and other matters.