NAB reference: Ex-Punjab CM Parvez Elahi indicted in graft case

LAHORE: A Lahore accountability court on Tuesday indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi in a corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the former Punjab chief minister and his son Moonis Elahi.

With Parvez denying the charges against him, the court has summoned witnesses to appear in the next hearing.

The senior politician, along with his son Moonis and others, is accused of illegally approving various development schemes, receiving kickbacks and causing over Rs1 billion in loss to the national exchequer.

The NAB, in its reference, also accused the PTI leader and his son of receiving bribes by awarding contracts to their "favourite contractors" and claimed that the father-son duo received more than Rs1 billion as kickbacks through intermediaries in more than 200 development projects in the Gujrat district during Parvez's second term as Punjab chief minister.

It also mentioned that the ex-CM embezzled more than Rs744.5 million in bribes and kickbacks. The reference also said that the accountant kept depositing the kickbacks in the accounts of Moonis and his family.

His son deposited €1.61 million in his foreign bank account, while his family members deposited more than Rs304 million in their accounts.

The reference stated that the suspects were found guilty in the investigation, therefore, the accountability court should conduct a trial and punish them accordingly.

Furthermore, the case, registered by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab, accuses Parvez of making illegal appointments and accepting bribes to influence the recruitment process during his tenure as chief minister.

According to the ACE, qualified candidates were bypassed in favour of unqualified individuals who had not even taken the required exams.

The latest indictment adds to the months-long legal woes faced by the PTI leadership whose founder Imran Khan along with senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others have been behind bars for months in various cases.

The development comes against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations between the former ruling party and the government as well as the pending verdict of the £190 million case against Khan who has been incarcerated in Adiala jail for more than a year now.

Although the party has not yet presented its charter of demands in writing in parleys with the government, it nevertheless has time again called for the PTI founder's and workers' release.