Kohistan mega scandal: three arrested accused file plea bargain requests

PESHAWAR: Three arrested suspects in the Kohistan corruption scandal case have submitted plea bargain requests to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

According to NAB sources, the three accused have filed plea bargain requests involving amounts exceeding Rs15 billion.

According to the sources, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) NAB executive board will review these requests in a meeting scheduled for November 28.

The sources said that the applications include declarations of bank accounts, properties, vehicles, gold and cash.

Several of the suspects’ assets are also registered under the names of their relatives.

The sources said that all legal requirements will be completed before the plea bargain requests were sent to the NAB chairman. The accused who have submitted the applications are former bank cashier and dummy contractor Muhammad Riaz, prime suspect and contractor Muhammad Ayub and Mumtaz.

After the KP NAB executive board approves the plea bargain requests, they will be forwarded to the NAB chairman for final decision.

Earlier, the NAB had turned down the plea bargain of the prime suspect Muhammad Ayub. Sources said that earlier 10 of the arrested suspects had submitted applications for the plea bargain.

Among those seeking a plea bargain are Qaiser Iqbal and his wife, whose bank accounts were found to contain Rs10 billion, NAB sources said.

The anti-corruption watchdog has so far recovered over Rs5 billion so far in connection with the Kohistan scandal.

The NAB has arrested a total of 26 suspects in connection with the Rs40 billion Kohistan mega corruption scandal.

According to the NAB, over 40 individuals, including government officials, contractors, and bank employees, were involved in withdrawing Rs40 billion through fake companies and forged documents.

NAB has also frozen a total of 36 luxury vehicles and properties linked to the accused. So far, NAB KP has seized seven luxury vehicles in connection with the scandal, including a Toyota Land Cruiser, Kia Jeep, Toyota Fortuner, and Honda Civic.

Additionally, 29 properties allegedly owned by those involved—located in some of Islamabad’s most expensive areas—have been frozen. These include commercial plazas, residential houses, apartments, and markets.

The NAB investigation continues as the anti-corruption watchdog intensifies its crackdown on those involved in one of the region’s biggest corruption scandals.