Court allows NAB to probe Nawaz Sharif over purchase of bulletproof govt vehicles

RAWALPINDI: An accountability court on Tuesday granted permission to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe former prime minister Nawaz Sharif over the purchase of more than 30 bulletproof government vehicles.

A team of NAB officials, consequently, are set to question the ex-premier over the matter in Kot Lakhpat Jail (Lahore Central Prison) where he is being held since December 2018 after his conviction in the Al-Azizia corruption reference.

In this regard, the anti-graft body explained that ongoing inquiry pertained to the illegal use of 34 bulletproof cars that were purchased from Germany sans duty for guests of the 19th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit — in 2016.

According to the NAB, Sharif had subsequently added 20 of those 34 cars to his own motorcade and he, as well as his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, used the vehicles for their personal use too.

The anti-corruption watchdog further noted that the statement of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister and a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had already been recorded and that Fawad Hasan Fawad and the ex-foreign secretary had also been questioned in this regard.

The NAB further maintained that officers associated with the foreign ministry went beyond their authority with regard to the bulletproof cars.