Deputy Senate Chairmain accuses NAB of blackmail

-Chairman NAB takes notice of Saleem Mandviwalla’s allegations

By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice retired Javed Iqbal on Sunday has directed not to take any further action against Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla before considering all legal elements of the case.
The directions were issued by the chairman NAB after taking notice of allegations leveled by Mr. Mandviwalla in a presser earlier in the day, said a declaration issued by the anti-graft body.
Justice retired Javed Iqbal has sought a complete record of the concerned case.
The declaration further said that the anti-graft watchdog respects all parliamentarians and a decision about further action will be taken after considering all sides of the case.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Chairman of Senate Saleem Mandviwalla had called National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a blackmailing organization and alleged that people only go for plea bargain to save their honor.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier assured of neutral accountability but the opposition is being victimized he alleged.
Earlier November 25, an accountability court in Islamabad issued a written order ratifying a NAB report about freezing Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla’s assets in an illegal land allotment case, an offshoot of the multi-billion fake accounts scam.
The national graft buster submitted the report to the court stating that it had got 3.1 million shares owned by Mandviwalla in different companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) frozen.
The bureau said it has collected important evidence showing the Senator and former PIA managing director Ijaz Haroon’s involvement in the case.
They both allegedly illegally allotted a piece of state land and received an amount of Rs140 million.
The amount was received from an Omni Group’s fake account in the garb of a business deal.
Mandviwalla later used the ill-gotten money to buy 3.1 million shares in the name of one of his employees in Mangla View Company.