DHA scams: NAB probe gives Gen Kayani a clean chit

By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: All those arrested by NAB so far in the DHA-related scams in Rawalpindi  and Lahore have completely denied the involvement of former Army Chief General (retd) Ashfaq Pervez Kayani in the shady dealings of the DHA, including the one that allegedly involving his younger brother Kamran Kayani.

Informed NAB sources told The News that the DHA officials, who are presently in the custody of the Bureau for investigation, have also confirmed that General Kayani had never used his influence on the DHA management to get any deal done in favour of any of the private parties having a joint venture with the DHA, including the one associated with his brother Kamran Kayani.

The sources said the NAB probe till this stage gives a clean chit to the former army chief, who has been dragged into the shady affairs of the DHA because of his brothers.

Regarding Kamran Kayani, the NAB sources said one of the younger Kayani’s partners has been arrested by NAB but the bureau has yet to issue arrest warrants for Kamran Kayani.

“We don’t need to do it now but may decide in the days to come,” an informed source said.

A few months back a notice was issued to Kamran Kayani to join the NAB investigations but as he was abroad he did not appear before the NAB Rawalpindi, which finds his role in the DHA Farmhouses Islamabad project scams.

It is said that the DHA Islamabad had initially decided to launch a farmhouse scheme for which it had signed a deal with the Eden Company, which was to acquire the land for the scheme. However, since the required quantity of land could not be acquired, the scheme was abandoned.

It is said that the Eden Company had engaged Elysium Holdings Pakistan Limited for the purchase of land. A formula was evolved under which the owner of 32 kanals of land was to be provided with a farmhouse. An allotment certificate was to be issued to all such owners.

It is said that despite the abandonment of the farmhouse scheme by the DHA, a total of 180 certificates were issued to local owners of the land that was never acquired or purchased.

It caused a huge liability for the DHA as despite abandonment of the projects, there were 180 allotment certificates issued.

It is said that almost 120 such allotment certificates were retrieved but the remaining over 50 are still with the owners concerned who seek physical possession.

In this project, the DHA Islamabad claims a loss of Rs500 million whereas the Elysium claims to have transferred approx 6,000 kanals of land to the DHA with an approx value of Rs12 billion.

The NAB connects Kamran Kayani with Elysium and believes that Kamran was one of the owners of the private company.

Karman Kayani’s elder brother Brig (retd) Amjad Kayani was, however, reported to have denied any wrong on part of his younger brother, insisting that he had left Elysium in 2007 well before it got into a deal with DHA in the farmhouse project.

The NAB sources, however, still insist that Kamran Kayani had a role. It is said Kamran used his influence to get the deal done.

Kamran Kayani is presently avoiding returning to Pakistan and joining the investigation despite the fact that his reputed brother General (retd) Kayani’s name is being maligned by the media and other interested parties in the DHA scams.—Published in The News