LARKANA: A team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) raided Sindh Minister for Auqaf Sohail Anwar Siyal’s Larkana residence on Wednesday.
Sources said the national graft buster’s team carried out a thorough search of the building and took into custody important documents. The raid was aimed to gather evidence in connection with the bureau’s ongoing assets beyond means inquiry against the minister, they added.
Speaking to reporters, Siyal said he has obtained pre-arrest bail from the Sindh High Court (SHC) in the assets case. Rejecting charges of owning any benami assets, he said his property was not benami as he had acquired it from his father who had declared the same with Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
He lamented that his father’s declared property is being billed benami and refused to share any details about today’s raid saying he has no information about it for he is in Mirpurkhas. He denied that the NAB team collected any documents.
Last year in June, the Sindh High Court had granted protective bail to Sohail Anwar Siyal in the assets case.
On the other hand, The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched an inquiry against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif and others over alleged suspicious transactions.
Sources said the corruption watchdog launched the probe on the basis of a complaint regarding suspicious transactions under the garb of export of rice against a firm, Tariq Mir & Co, reportedly owned by the former federal minister.
They said the bureau has sought licence details of the firm as well as data of people doing export business under the banner of the company. It has summoned Muhammad Usman, Anwarur Rehman and others associated with the firm for questioning.
It is noteworthy that Khawaja Asif is already facing a NAB probe for allegedly illegally building a private housing scheme, Kent View Housing Society, in Sialkot. He has been asked to provide the money trail of the funds invested in the scheme.
