PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has officially upgraded the inquiry into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohistan mega corruption scandal to a formal investigation. NAB’s latest actions in the province have uncovered further shocking details.
According to official records, assets worth a total of Rs25 billion have so far been recovered and seized in the case. NAB has confiscated over Rs1 billion in cash, foreign currency, and more than three kilograms of gold.
Additionally, 73 bank accounts in various commercial banks—containing over Rs5 billion—have been frozen.
NAB has also seized 77 luxury vehicles and taken control of 109 properties in various cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Mansehra. These include 4 farmhouses, 12 commercial plazas, 2 commercial plots, 30 houses, 12 shops and food courts, 25 flats and penthouses, and 175 kanals of agricultural land. The total estimated value of these properties is around Rs 17 billion.
According to government sources, the arrest of high-profile individuals is expected within the next 24 to 48 hours, and preparations are underway. This massive fraud was carried out with extreme cunning and a clear nexus involving government officials, greedy contractors, complicit bank authorities, and others.
All the accused operated with shocking boldness, quietly siphoning billions from the national treasury without alerting any financial oversight institution.
NAB has arrested contractor Muhammad Ayub, who is involved in the Kohistan scandal. Around Rs 3 billion were transferred to his account, and he also purchased Azam Swati’s house using the embezzled funds. –Agencies
