NAB 'finds crucial evidence' about various cases, including £190m NCA scam

• Evidence extremely valuable in several cases, says sources.
• NAB "looking into" documents from different aspects.
• Evidence already presented sufficient to satisfy court, they say.

ISLAMABAD: During a raid on Bahria Town’s offices, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has claimed to have obtained crucial evidence regarding various cases, particularly the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement scam case against former prime minister Imran Khan, The News reported citing sources on Thursday.

The sources told the publication that the evidence were extremely valuable in several cases including the one pertaining to the UK’s National Crime Agency.

The accountability watchdog is looking into the documents, that came into its possession during the raid, from different aspects.

“We are cross checking some of the documents, evaluating their relevance in respective cases against different individuals”, they said.

To a query, if the proofs about the NCA scam against Khan, his spouse Bushra Bibi and others would be submitted to the accountability court hearing the Al-Qadir Trust reference, the source said it was not decided so far. 

The evidence already presented were sufficient to satisfy the court in the £190 million NCA embezzlement case, the person said.

An accountability court is presently recording the statement of prosecution witnesses in the case in its trial in Adiala Jail where both Khan and Bushra Bibi are jailed.

On Wednesday, the accountability court in Adiala Jail recorded the statement of former Defence Minister Pervez Khattak. He told the court former accountability czar Shahzad Akbar had told the then-cabinet members that a substantial amount of money allegedly illegally transferred out of Pakistan had been seized in Britain.

Khattak said the documents related to transfer of £190 million by the NCA to Pakistan were presented before the Khan cabinet in a sealed envelope, and approval of the cabinet was sought as an additional item.

Almost 31 witnesses have recorded their statements and their cross-examination has also been completed. 

A few weeks back, a NAB team had raided the offices in Rawalpindi-Islamabad in connection with Al-Qadir Trust University case and £190 million NCA settlement scam, and took all the records into custody.

During the raid, Punjab police and elite force personnel cordoned off the offices while the NAB team was examining the documents and records that were collected. 

According to media reports, the NAB team had also questioned the staff of the housing society in the offices regarding records of Al-Qadir Trust University and the £190 million NCA settlement scam. The NAB team, later, sealed the offices.

Reacting to the raid, Bahria Town Chairman Malik Riaz Hussain had said on ‘X’ that he would bear all hardships but would not become “an approver”.