LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore has recovered Rs2 billion in a major corruption case involving officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Sheikhupura.
According to the private newspaper report, the recovery was made under the supervision of NAB Lahore Director General Ghulam Safdar Shah. He handed over the first installment of the recovered amount to Punjab’s Additional Secretary Finance Khalid Mehmood at the NAB office in Lahore.
According to NAB, the case was opened in September 2024 after reports of bogus cheques worth around Rs5 billion issued by officers of PHED and the District Accounts Office, Sheikhupura. During the inquiry, several accused admitted to their involvement and submitted plea bargain requests worth Rs2 billion. These requests were approved by the Accountability Court, Lahore.
After court approval, NAB ensured the swift recovery of the looted amount, which has now been deposited into the national treasury.
DG NAB Lahore praised his team’s efforts, saying the fast recovery of public money shows their dedication and professionalism. He confirmed that investigations are still ongoing against other officials involved in the misuse of public funds.
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He added that NAB’s priority is to provide quick relief to the public. To return looted money to victims, NAB has started the process of auctioning the seized properties of the accused.
A public auction of valuable assets was recently held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Lahore. Similar auctions will be held in other districts according to schedule.
NAB Recovers and Distributes Over Rs88bn in First Quarter of 2025
In related news, NAB recovered and disbursed over Rs88 billion during the first quarter of 2025 (January to March). The recoveries include Rs2.085 billion in direct recoveries and Rs86 billion in indirect recoveries involving illegally occupied public and private land.
NAB Balochistan retrieved 340 acres of Chiltan Park and 250 acres from the Forest Department, valued at Rs6.45 billion. NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recovered Rs0.56 billion in a case involving officials from the University of Swabi, Revenue and Forest departments.
NAB Lahore recovered Rs70.87 billion from three major housing scams: Employees Cooperative Housing Society, State Life Insurance Employees Cooperative Housing Society, and Sarwar Omega Villas.
NAB Multan recovered Rs0.013 billion from the GFS-7 Wonders Housing Scheme, while NAB Sukkur recovered 610 acres of National Highway Authority land worth Rs8.53 billion.
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In direct disbursements, NAB transferred Rs9.72 million to the federal government, Rs10.80 million to provincial governments, and Rs73.51 million to various departments and financial institutions.
A total of Rs1.99 billion was directly returned to 19,105 victims of different scams. Major disbursements include:
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Rs1.168 billion to 11,855 victims of the Eden Housing Scheme (NAB Lahore)
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Rs405 million to 989 victims of the SHG & Others case (NAB Lahore)
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Rs72 million to 4,778 victims of the National House Building & Road Development Corporation (NAB Rawalpindi)
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Rs111 million to 496 victims of the Arain City case (NAB Rawalpindi)
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Rs109 million to 452 victims of Toyota Motors Gujranwala (NAB Lahore)
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Rs23.56 million to 246 victims of the Gulshan-e-Rehman case (NAB Rawalpindi)
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Rs12.07 million to 99 victims of the THG case (NAB Lahore)
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Rs47.31 million to 60 victims of Gilani Housing Corporation (NAB Rawalpindi)
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Rs3.63 million to 78 victims of Ahmed City Housing Scheme (NAB Lahore)
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Rs38.59 million to 52 victims of various other scams
These efforts have pushed NAB’s total recoveries since its establishment to Rs6.236 trillion, with Rs3.92 trillion—around 63%—recovered in just the last 18 months. The recoveries have been made through plea bargains, voluntary returns, and settlements with individuals and organizations.
