Mushtaq Raisani has already surrendered Rs653.2 million: NAB

ISLAMABAD: Director Operations National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Zahir Shah said that in the Mushtaq Raisani corruption case 11 properties had been revealed.

In a press conference held on Thursday, Shah defended the plea bargain for Raisani. “Mushtaq Raisani surrendered two properties in Karachi’s Defence area, along with two cars and over Rs653.2 million.”

The Executive Board of NAB in a surprise move on Wednesday accepted the plea bargain request of more than Rs2 billion of Balochistan Finance Secretary Mushtaq Ahmad Raisani and Sohail Majeed Shah, contractor and frontman of Khalid Lango, ex-adviser to CM Balochistan for Finance.

Raisani has also agreed to surrender 3,300 grams of gold, Shah said. He claimed that Raisani had surrendered Rs800 million so far.

Meanwhile, Sohail Majeed will return Rs960 million to NAB, he said.

Zahir Shah said that through plea bargain Rs3.25 billion will be returned to the national exchequer. He added that action will be taken against the culprits.

The Supreme Court barred NAB from striking voluntary return deals, he said.

He added that a person accused of corruption is banned from occupying a government position for ten years, and can never contest the elections.

Earlier today, NAB spokesman, Nawazish Ali said the bureau should be praised for making the biggest plea bargain in history and returning the amount to the national exchequer.

Raisani was apprehended in May this year during a raid on offices of the finance department at Quetta Civil Secretariat, after over Rs650 million in cash including local and foreign currency and gold jewellery weighing several kilograms was recovered from his residence.