NAB 'powerless' to interrogate any army officer in DHA scam
Name of ex-army chief Pervez Kayani's brother is doing the rounds in the multi-billion DHA scam.
(Report by: Kamran Khan) - It is our bad luck that even prominent personalities of Pakistan are not safe from corruption allegations. Era between 2008 and 2013 was the darkest, during which, top Pakistani personalities or their acquaintances were caught in some kind of financial controversies.
It is unlikely in any other country where a serving president, two prime ministers, army official, chief justice or people close to them are accused of corruption during a government’s tenure.
The most prominent personality in the previous government was PPP co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari who faced money laundering cases and 60 million (USD) Swiss accounts reference.
NAB kept presenting evidence of former president’s secret Swiss accounts in the Supreme Court, on which, the apex court issued multiple directives to the PPP-led government to write a letter to the Swiss authorities but the orders were not implemented. The matter lingered on during Zardari’s five-year rule.
After Zardari, the last PPP regime’s two prime ministers - Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf - are facing different cases of corruption.
Gilani is facing 12 corruption cases, including the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan scam, while Ashraf has been named in eight cases including Karkay rental power scam, misuse of authority and corruption worth billions.
Gilani’s son Ali Musa Gilani is also on bail in Rs7 billion corruption case for allegedly importing ephedrine and smuggling it to Iran.
Moreover, former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son Dr Arsalan is accused of having received over Rs340 million from property tycoon Malik Riaz.
And now the name of ex-army chief General (r) Pervez Kayani’s brother is doing the rounds in the multi-billion DHA scams.
Elysium Holdings, owned by Captain (r) Kamran Kayani, the younger brother of former army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, is accused of helping Globaco acquire the DHA City project, a real estate entity of the army.
NAB alleges that Rs16 billion were plundered in the scam but a number of people affected by the false land-allotment claim that the actual amount is closer to Rs 30 billion.
On Thursday, an accountability in Lahore extended physical remand of Hammad Arshad, the prime accused, for another 12 days while Kamran Kayani is reportedly abroad these days.
Hammad Arshad’s company Globaco had signed an agreement with DHA EME in November 2009 to develop DHA City on a land measuring 25,000 kanals near Thokhar Niaz Baig but failed to acquire the land and issued fake allotment letters and collected around Rs16 billion from public.
It is naive to assume that the contracts just happened to be handed over to Globaco and Elysium Holdings, the firms of both suspects in the case – without the knowledge of someone from the army.
At present, the fingers are being pointed at the then army chief that he might have used his influence in the matter.
In any DHA project in the country, concerned corps commander and auditor general of lieutenant rank from the General Headquarters play an important role.
Kamran Kayani and Hammad Arshad are prime suspects in the scam but the streak will continue from administrative DHA Lahore, the then corps commander Lahore, auditor general and could conclude at the army chief. They cannot be ruled out in the scandal.
NAB can round up any civilian like Hammad Arshad in this case but interrogation from any brigadier or lieutenant general is completely out of their reach. Neither, the GHQ will permit it as similarly happened in the NLC case in which the GHQ never responded to a single letter written by the NAB for eight years. This could be the reason that today Pervez Kayani’s brother escaped easily from the country and he is far away from NAB’s grip.
Recently, both brothers have been bombarded with corruption allegations but the NAB usually seems mum over DHA City scandal, DHA Islamabad and Elysium Farm House corruption cases.
In 2009, DHA Lahore worked on Elysium Farm House Project along with Kamran Kayani after the approval of the then Rawalpindi corps commander and army’s auditor general. In April last year, NAB continued probe into the matter in full swing but now the matter seems to have been placed in a cold storage.
We don’t know that either General Raheel Sharif has really decided to hold inquiry into Captain (r) Kamran Kayani and Brigadier (r) Amjad Kayani’s direct or indirect agreements with the army-linked institutions.
Will the former army chief be implicated in the case? It is too early to say that.
It is not in our knowledge that any other such agreement with the army, in which Kamran and Amjad have been named, are being investigated. We believe that General Raheel Sharif might keep his hands away from this wasp‘s nest and not open pandora box during last ten months of his tenure as the scope of investigation will not only remain limited to DHA Lahore, DHA Islamabad or General Kayani’s tenure. Such shocking scandals would unearth in DHA Karachi project as well.
Today, people and several banks in Karachi are seeking justice from courts and GHQ after losing billions of rupees in DHA Karachi project. In phase 8, those who purchased plots some 20 years ago have still not been provided basic facilities till today.
The matter could spill over to Army Welfare Trust projects as well.
General Raheel Sharif might not afford deviation of focus from Operation Zarb-e-Azb, National Action Plan and other national security issues towards this matter but Kamran Kayani and Hammad Arshad are just tip of the iceberg. The situation could complicate if any further step is taken on the matter.
According to Lt General (r) Ziauddin Butt, DHA schemes are under GHQ’s control and beside this they have their own mechanism which is monitored by corps commanders. Most decisions in the projects are taken by corps commanders. The projects are approved through a proper procedure.
He said if any officer found involved in any scam, he is being punished after thorough inquiry, however, no such mega scandal has surfaced so far.
Ziauddin Butt said there is another organization at GHQ’s level that conducts monitoring of independent societies. He stressed that this scam should be investigated, however, nature of corruption cannot be ascertained until the inquiry is completed.
Earlier on Friday, after long tussle with the federal government on the extension of Rangers’ powers, Sindh Assembly passed Criminal Services Prosecution Bill, according to which the government can free any suspect from jail after withdrawing the subjudice case from the court.
Legal exports have termed the move as constitutional NRO which could affect ongoing cases against Asif Zardari’s close aide Dr Asim Hussain.
Former president of Sindh High Court Bar Justice (r) Rasheed A Rizvi asserted that this bill has not legal status. The court could nullify it if challenged.
But... this bill can initiate a ‘dangerous‘ trend.
(This article was originally posted in Roznama Dunya)
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