NAB decides summoning all accused in sugar scandal case

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi office has decided to summon all personalities nominated in the sugar scandal case after receiving relevant records, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Important progress was made by the anti-corruption watchdog as it decided to summon all accused in the sugar scandal case after receiving records from the relevant institutions.

The anti-graft watchdog issued a call-up notice to Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) chairman Sikandar Muhammad Khan. The accused was asked to appear before NAB investigators along with records on March 25 in Islamabad, sources told ARY News.

Read: PM Imran Khan wants across the board action in sugar scandal

Sources added that NAB asked to provide details of the subsidy granted on sugar between 2017 and 2019, as well as sought details of sugar production and its cost during the period of three years.

Moreover, the relevant records of in-house meetings of the sugar mill owners and the report which recommended the federal government to grant subsidy during the three-year period were also sought by the NAB investigators.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice Retired Javed Iqbal had greenlighted investigation into wheat and sugar scandal in April last year.

The approval had been given in an executive board meeting where it was decided that the NAB will also thoroughly investigate into alleged smuggling of wheat and sugar and subsidies to the sectors.

Read: NAB constitutes joint investigation team on sugar subsidy scandal

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government had made public reports of a high-level inquiry into the sugar and wheat crises that had hit the people hard across the country in January 2020.

Under the stewardship of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general Wajid Zia, two teams had carried out a probe into the crises and furnished their reports to the prime minister upon completion for perusal. Prime Minister Khan had gone through the report before it was made public.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had also vowed legal action against those responsible for the sugar and wheat price hike after the detailed forensic reports.