20000120

Dar tops 195-name list 3rd round of NAB crackdown starts soon TAHIR DHINDSA

ISLAMABAD: Starting the third round of accountability, the National Accountability Bureau has prepared a comprehensive list of 195 corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, with former finance minister Ishaq Dar at the top, who will be arrested during the next few days. The cabinet meeting on Thursday is likely to give approval for the drive.

Originally, the NAB had planned to clamp down on 195 officials from Friday, but now it is likely to take two three more days after the prosecutor general Farooq Adam fell seriously ill and was hospitalised in Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon.

Official sources on Wednesday told Business Recorder that during this third crackdown, focus has been shifted from bank defaulters to public servants and public figures who had been involved in corruption either directly or by abusing their official powers.

Sources said the list has been prepared after obtaining through feedback from different ministries, intelligence and investigating agencies. The office of the finance minister supervised the list-making process. The Petroleum Ministry, sources said is the second most important ministry where officials and politicians had been involved in corruption. former petroleum minister Anwar Saifullah is already behind the bars for his alleged involvement in the Dhodak oil field scam.

According to the sources some startling names have been included to the list. Former finance minister, Ishaque Dar tops the list. Others include at least three federal ministers and a chief minister and, many federal secretaries and two former principal secretary to the prime minister. Sources said some of the bureaucrats included in the list have more than 100 residential plots either in their own name or in the name of close family members. These bureaucrats cannot establish any legitimate sources of income behind their fortune.

All federal ministries, public corporations and semi-government departments were directed to include officials who were even made Officers on Special Duty (OSD) on chargers of misconduct or misappropriation of assets. All those held responsible for some gross irregularity were included. Adopting the top-down approach, the government has only included officers of grade 20 and above. Based on this exercise the government has pin-pointed the officials.

Sources also said that Ishaque Dar had been instrumental in reducing duty on imports of large cars and then withdrawing the concession after a party stalwart imported a bulk of large size luxury cars. Many bureaucrats, who are wanted by the NAB have already been made OSDs.