NAB arrests Shehbaz Sharif in Ashiana housing scam

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president, Shehbaz Sharif, in Rs 14 billion Ashiana housing society case.

The PML-N president was served summons many a times and he appeared today to record his statement where he was taken into custody by NAB officials.

Shahbaz’s blue-eyed officers, Lahore Development Authority former director general Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hasan Fawad, are already in NAB custody in the Ashiana Housing case.

Fawad Hasan Fawad, former principal secretary to ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in his statement before NAB in August claimed that he had awarded a contract to a “favourite firm” in the Rs14bn Ashiana Housing project on Shahbaz’s behest.

The Bureau had summoned Shahbaz Sharif in the Ashiana Housing scam in August .

According to NAB, “the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons but former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and his aides awarded the Rs 14 billion contract to Lahore Casa Developers – a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by Railways Minister Saad Rafique”.

“Fawad, who was implementation secretary to the chief minister Punjab at the time, levelled charges of wrongdoings against Chaudhry Latif and Sons in order for the contract to be awarded to Casa Developers.”

Formerly the principal secretary of deposed premier Nawaz Sharif, Fawad was removed from the post on June 1 and was appointed Civil Services Academy director general.

The accused bureaucrat was also being probed by NAB for possession of assets beyond known sources of income.