National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecutor, Waris Ali Janjua, on Saturday filed a reference against a man and his wife, naming them as the prime suspects behind the recent “propaganda” against the bureau’s chairman, Javed Iqbal, who along with six other complainants had allegedly been blackmailed and defrauded by the couple.
According to the accountability watchdog, the chairman as well as six other individuals had been targeted by a group of blackmailers, allegedly to which the couple belongs.
A few days ago, some footage and a few audio clips — first aired by News One — surfaced, in which a man could be heard talking to a woman, and making inappropriate remarks at various points.
While the TV channel linked the male voice with the NAB chairman, the corruption watchdog vehemently denied the allegation, labelling it “the propaganda of a blackmailers’ group”.
An accountability court sent out a notice to both suspects and asked them to appear in court on June 17. The investigation officer in the case has also been summoned.
According to the reference filed by NAB, 36 witnesses recorded their statements with the bureau against the two suspects.
The two “lured and defrauded six complainants by collecting millions of rupees through corrupt, dishonest and illegal practices and hence gained illegal monitory (sic) practices”, read the reference filed by the bureau.
According to the reference, the complainants were cheated “on the pretext of processing their visas, installation of towers of mobile companies, to get them relief in cases and to purchase cheaper bulldozers for them”.
Janjua said that the two suspects would “extort money from people and threaten to initiate a NAB inquiry against them if they did not comply”.
“With others, embroiled in cases with the bureau, they would ask for huge sums of money and promise to get their cases resolved in exchange,” he added.
The man is currently incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat Jail whereas his wife is out on bail.
