The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to include Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz in the assets beyond means probe against Captain (r) Safdar, a private TV channel reported on Monday.
The Lahore division of the top anti-graft watchdog made the decision after it ‘found important leads in the case’. According to NAB, Maryam has been found to be the owner of the benami properties bought by Safdar. NAB’s documents suggest that details have also been sought regarding Safdar’s sources of earning.
Reports said that NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had received reports about him in 2020, saying the cases were moved to Lahore as majority of his properties were found to be in the provincial capital.
Captain (r) Safdar has been facing the probe for around two years over the possession of assets that are allegedly disproportionate to his known sources income, a crime under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. The executive board of the anti-graft watchdog had given the nod for the probe in 2018 after a complaint was sent to it by a citizen. According to the complainant, Safdar owned 300 kanals of land, a 30 kanals plot, a one kanal house, a flour mills and other properties in Mansehra.
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday restrained NAB from arresting Captain (r) Safdar. A two-judge bench of the LHC, headed by Justice Sarfraz Dogar, issued a notice to the corruption watchdog to submit its response to a petition filed by the PML-N leader. The court barred the bureau from arresting him until March 29.
Capt Safdar had challenged the NAB’s call-up notice in the assets beyond means case. Last week, the NAB had directed him to appear before an investigation team at the NAB Lahore office at 11 am on Wednesday (tomorrow) in a case pertaining to his assets beyond known sources of income.
