QUETTA: Just hours after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as PM by Supreme Court for holding assets beyond known sources of income, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) took it as a precedent and initiated corruption probe against a former provincial minister.

On Friday, the NAB authorised investigation against former Balochistan minister for Excise and Taxation (E&T) Mohammad Amin Umrani and his close relative E&T Inspector Ghulam Sarwar Umrani for holding assets beyond their known sources of income.

The decision to initiate the probe was taken during a meeting of the NAB executive board, presided over by its chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry.

NAB to investigate former Balochistan minister for corruption

It is alleged that Mohammed Amin Umrani, in connivance with Ghulam Sarwar Umrani, accumulated properties worth Rs88.77 million, which is impossible to acquire keeping in view their sources of income.

The accused had earlier requested voluntary return of Rs52 million, but the NAB declined the offer and decided to probe the case further.

Umrani has already been disqualified as E&T minister for possessing a fake degree in September 2012. A division bench of the Balochistan High Court had cancelled his degree and asked the concerned authorities to initiate criminal proceedings against him.

The two-judge bench, comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mengal, had issued the order on a petition filed by Niaz Ahmed.

Umrani was elected as a member of the Balochistan Assembly on Pakistan Peoples Party’s ticket in the 2008 general elections.

Interestingly, the admit card of the University of Balochistan carried a photo of another man with Umrani’s name. The man in the picture was said to have appeared in the examination on behalf of Umrani.

The petitioner had pleaded that Umrani contested the 2008 general elections from PB-29 Naseerabad on a fake degree, committing electoral fraud.

Corruption, irregularities: NAB to initiate inquiry against former federal, provincial ministers

“Amin Umrani did not appear in the examination, rather in his place, Mumtaz Ali appeared and solved the papers and he [Umrani] succeeded in obtaining the degree fraudulently,” the petitioner had pleaded while praying for Umrani’s disqualification.

On the court orders, the record of Umrani’s examination form was produced before the bench by the University of Balochistan. The form carried Umrani’s name and address, but the picture of Mumtaz Ali.

The court disqualified the minister, ordering the cancellation of his fake degree and registration of an FIR against him.

 

Source: Tribune

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