NAB to file references against Mushtaq Raisani after it faces flak over plea bargain approval

ISLAMABAD - National Accountability Bureau has decided to file references against Balochistan’s former finance secretary Mushtaq Raisani and a contractor Sohail Majeed Shah.

The decision came days after the national graft buster was lampooned for approving the plea bargain request of accused against a whopping Rs. 2 billion.

According to NAB authorities, Raisani and Shah, the alleged front-man of Balochistan former chief minister’s adviser on finance Khalid Langove, had submitted plea bargain applications, and obtained approvals, during NAB’s executive board meeting under the chair of Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry.

NAB Balochistan Director General Major (retd) Tariq Mehmood Malik clarified that the core reason for approval of plea bargain request was the fact that it was a swift method for recovery of embezzled money.

"NAB has made history by recovering Rs. 3 billion. The recovered amount will be handed over to the Balochistan government for the betterment of people belonging to the province," he added.

The official went on to say that the ill-gotten money was also transferred to 26 accounts of contractor Shah as kickbacks and commission and during inquiry the accused applied for voluntary return which was rejected by NAB.

On May 6, NAB recovered more than Rs. 730 million from Raisani’s residence in Quetta in a raid that raised the eyebrows of the graft-buster.

Following Raisani’s arrest and the recovery of embezzled money, the provincial finance adviser Langove also immediately offered to step down from his post.

On October 24, the Supreme Court barred NAB from approving deals for voluntary return, that allowed people found guilty of corruption to pay a certain amount of embezzled money to walk scot-free.