NICL scam: Wife, daughters of Warraich agree to return Rs100m

The wife and daughters of Major (retd) Habibullah Warraich agree to return Rs100 million to FIA.
LAHORE: The wife and daughters of Major (retd) Habibullah Warraich, main accused in the National Insurance Corporation Limited (NICL) case, agreed to return Rs100 million to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) authorities on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, FIA Punjab director Zaffar Qureshi said that the wife and daughters of Warraich had been summoned today (Tuesday), but they had contacted FIA and requested exemption from the inquiry and agreed to hand over the money. Qureshi said their statements will be recorded before an exemption is given.

Director FIA also said Warraich, who had escaped to London, would also be brought back soon.

The wife and two daughters of Habibullah are also beneficiaries in the land purchase scam in which Mohsin and Privilege Farms Pvt Ltd Company received Rs2.75 billion from the National Insurance Company Limited in account of two land sale agreements. According to investigations, about a million rupees from the Rs2.75 billion had been transferred into the accounts of the three women of the Warraich family.

Transparency chief summoned

The FIA has issued a notice to include Transparency International (TI) Pakistan chairman in the NICL scandal. TI chairman, Syed Adil Gilani has been summoned on December 23 at the FIA center in Lahore.

The former NICL chairman Ayyaz Khan Niazi in his confessional statement to the FIA claimed that the TI had quietly offered to get him a clean chit from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which was hearing a case against the insurance company if he were to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that future business contracts of NICL will go to only those private parties, which would be cleared and recommended by the TI. Three members of NICL board are also said to have fully substantiated the statement of Niazi that absconding board member, Qasim Amin Dada, himself had brought the secret offer in question from Transparency International.

Earlier, the FIA had sent sent Gilani a set of 22 questions to answer, after he refused to travel to Lahore to join the inquiry.

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NICL scam: SC orders arrest of DG FIA

Published: January 25, 2011
The court said the DG FIA was mismanaging the NICL investigation. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Waseem Ahmed, in the National Insurance Corporation (NICL) scam as the interior secretary also appeared before the court during the proceedings of the case.

Express 24/7 correspondent Faisal Shakeel reported that the court said the FIA was protecting influential people involved in the case and accused the DG FIA for mismanaging investigations into the NICL scam.

These statements were made when the court was informed that Qasim Amin Dada, the former director of the NICL could not be arrested as he was found to be sitting inside the room of the DG FIA. The apex court said that anyone who colludes with the accused is violating the law and the bench ordered legal action against the DG FIA if the allegations are proved. The bench also directed the FIA to record the statements of Ahmed and Moazzam Jan, the investigating officer in the NICL case, reported Faisal Shakeel.

On Monday, the apex court gave the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) a 72-hour deadline to arrest all the accused in the NICL scam and summoned the interior secretary.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary was hearing a suo motu case regarding the alleged violation of rules by former NICL chairman Ayaz Khan Niazi in the procurement of land on exorbitant prices causing great loss to the national exchequer.

“The culprits should be arrested and the culture of protecting the influential should end,” the Chief Justice had said during yesterday’s hearing.

Ahmed had earlier been removed from investigations in the Hajj scam case upon his request after being accused of spoiling the case.

He had been appointed as DG FIA last year after having served as Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Karachi since 2008..