PESHAWAR: The investigation into one of Kohistan’s largest-ever corruption scandals has tightened further as NAB secured custody of four more suspects, widening the Rs 37 billion embezzlement probe that has unsettled the region’s administrative corridors.
Officials confirmed that contractors Gul Zada and Nawabzada, along with government employees Syed Jamil and Syed Naseer, were arrested from Upper Kohistan and Abbottabad after financial trails linked them to suspicious transfers worth hundreds of millions. Early scrutiny of bank records showed transactions of over Rs 251.8 million tied to Gul Zada, around Rs 180 million to Nawabzada, Rs 104 million to Jamil, and Rs 94 million to Naseer.
With these arrests, the total number of accused has climbed to 32, including the primary suspect, Qaiser Iqbal, a former head clerk in the C&W Department, and his wife, both already behind bars. Investigators say the fraud was executed through forged documents, fake verifications and illegal withdrawals from the national treasury account designated for contractor security deposits. Funds were allegedly funneled into private companies that never carried out any work.
Authorities believe officials from the district accounts office, the C&W Department and a National Bank of Pakistan branch were part of the elaborate network that drained public resources for personal gain. In response, courts have moved to freeze properties, vehicles, commercial assets and foreign-currency holdings linked to the accused. One major suspect, Mohammad Riaz, a former bank cashier turned contractor, allegedly possessed 38 properties spread across multiple cities, held under his own and his brothers’ names.
As the probe expands, NAB aims to trace additional financial footprints and recover siphoned funds, while observers warn that the scale of the scandal demands transparent prosecution to restore public confidence in governance.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.