NAB seeks bank details of Sharif family, Ishaq Dar from State Bank

ISLAMABAD - The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday sought the complete details of bank accounts operated by Nawaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and their family members from the State Bank of Pakistan.

The anti-graft watchdog wrote a letter to the SBP on Thursday seeking complete banking transactions records of members of Sharif family and finance minister. SBP will collect the details from all banks in the country and furnish them to NAB after they are compiled.

NAB has asked for the record to be submitted by August 25.

Sharifs give no hoot to NAB summons

The Supreme Court had, in its July 28 verdict on the Panamagate case, ordered NAB to file references against the Sharif family, Ishaq Dar and others.

Acting on the orders, NAB had decided to file four references, including one against Dar, against the accused for possessing assets and funds beyond his known means of income.

A Supreme Court-sanctioned joint investigation team, which probed allegations against the accused raised in the Panamagate case, had in its final report noted that Dar’s wealth had increased by a staggering 91 times, from Rs9 million to Rs831m, within a very short span of time.

The information requested from the SBP will aid in NAB's ongoing inquiry against Dar.

NAB has asked the SBP to provide details of all bank accounts, including credit and debit card vouchers and statements of accounts, for Dar, his wife Tabassum, sons Ali Mustafa and Mujtuba Hasnain, daughter-in-law Asma Ali and Saeed Ahmed, the current president of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).

Asma is daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

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Besides seeking records of banking transactions, NAB had already written a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) seeking details of some seven companies –Hajveri Holdings, CNG Pakistan, Spencer Distribution, HDS Securities, Gulf Insurance Company, Spenser Pharmacy, and Hajveri Hodarba Management Company – all owned by relatives of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

Also on Thursday, the SC granted access to the confidential tenth volume of the JIT report to NAB investigators.

NAB has assigned and dedicated 14 officers to investigate the allegations and consequently file four separate references against Sharif family members in light of the SC judgment, according to media reports.

four probe teams each comprise three officers – an investigation officer, a case officer, and a director. They will be under the direct supervision of the directors-general of NAB Rawalpindi and Lahore.

These teams will conduct inquiries and recommend whether or not corruption reference should be filed.

The National Accountability Ordinance provides that if an investigation officer deems it necessary in the light of the available material evidence, they can order the arrest of an accused at any stage of an investigation.