PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested eight individuals in connection with a massive Rs. 40 billion corruption scandal in Kohistan, making it one of the biggest financial scandals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s history.
Those arrested include two government officials, two bankers, and four contractors.
The suspects are Shafiq-ur-Rehman Qureshi, the District Accounts Officer who is believed to be the central figure in the scandal; Muhammad Riaz, a former bank cashier and dummy contractor; Fazal Hussain, an auditor from the AG Office Peshawar; and Tahir Tanveer, a former bank manager. The four contractors arrested are Duraj Khan, Amir Saeed, Subedar, and Muhammad Ayub.
According to NAB investigations, the accused were involved in approving and issuing fake treasury cheques, creating non-existent construction companies, and embezzling billions of rupees through fraudulent billing, financial manipulation, and money laundering.
They are also accused of colluding with officials from the Communications and Works (C&W) Department and transferring funds through anonymous accounts and shell firms. The investigation further revealed that certain banks facilitated the scam.
Shafiq-ur-Rehman Qureshi is alleged to have played a leading role by approving fake treasury cheques under the budget head G-10113 for fictitious development projects in Upper Kohistan.
The investigation is still ongoing and, according to NAB sources, is expected to lead to further arrests. The scope of the inquiry has widened, raising serious concerns about corruption in public financial institutions and the role of senior officials in enabling such massive fraud.
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