NAB seeks reference against former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

The National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) Karachi office has requested to file a reference against former finance minister Abdul Hafeez, a spokesperson for the anti-graft watchdog said Monday.

The spokesperson said NAB Karachi's Regional Board meeting has sent requests to the central office for filing two references and decided to start proceedings in several cases.

Hafeez Shaikh — who left the ministry a few months back — and two former chairmen of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Abdullah Yousuf and Salman Siqqiuqe, have incurred losses worth $11 million to the national exchequer, the spokesperson said.

The board approved a reference against a former member of Land Utilisation, Ghulam Mustafa Phal, who has allegedly allotted valuable government land through illegal means.

The board also allowed an inquiry against former deputy commissioner West Fayyaz Solangi on corruption charges, the NAB spokesperson added.

Hafeez Shaikh's exit

Shaikh’s exit as from the ministry marked the third time Prime Minister Imran Khan had changed his finance minister in the two and half years since coming to power.

The economist was appointed an advisor to the prime minister for finance in April 2019, after Khan’s close confidant Asad Umar was removed from the finance ministry.

Then in December, Shaikh was sworn in as federal minister for a period of six months, as the constitution bars an unelected official from heading a ministry for more than a period of six months.

Shaikh’s stint as minister ended in March — following his defeat in the Senate elections — despite the premier reiterating that the country's economy was heading in the right direction.

Hammad Azhar was appointed as the finance minister on March 30, however, in yet another cabinet reshuffle on April 16, PM Imran Khan had appointed Shaukat Tareen as the country's new finance minister.