PESHAWAR: In a major development in the ongoing corruption probe, the family of a suspect has surrendered property worth PKR 55.3 million in Kohistan financial scandal to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The statements of the suspect’s son and daughter were formally recorded before the accountability court regarding the voluntary surrender of assets.
According to the NAB prosecutor, Muhammad Naseer utilized funds from the Kohistan scandal to purchase residential properties measuring 10 marlas and 33 marlas in Abbottabad under his children’s names.
Appearing before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Zafar, both the son and daughter submitted sworn affidavits stating they were unaware that the properties were acquired using funds from the corruption scheme.
Furthermore, the prosecutor informed the court that Muhammad Naseer has submitted a formal plea bargain application, after which the court recorded the statements confirming that the family surrendered property worth PKR 55.3 million in Kohistan financial scandal.
Note on NAB Plea Bargain Framework and Asset Recoveries
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) operates under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, which includes provisions for Voluntary Return (VR) under Section 25(a) and Plea Bargain (PB) under Section 25(b).
The Plea Bargain mechanism allows a person facing charges to apply for a settlement by agreeing to return the complete amount of embezzled money or assets acquired through corrupt practices.
Once approved by the Chairman NAB and formally sanctioned by the relevant Accountability Court, the plea bargain discharges the individual from custody while legally standing as a conviction without a prison sentence, disqualifying the individual from holding public office, contesting elections, or obtaining financial loans for ten years.
Over the decades, NAB’s recovery mechanisms have served as one of the primary avenues for recovering public funds from corruption cases across Pakistan.
Through direct recoveries, plea bargains, and voluntary returns, NAB has recovered over PKR 800 billion since its inception, returning significant sums to the national treasury and affected state institutions.
While critics argue that plea bargains allow individuals to avoid incarceration, anti-corruption authorities maintain that the mechanism ensures swift recovery of stolen assets without undergoing decades of protracted litigation.
Judicial oversight remains mandatory to ensure that settlements accurately reflect the true scale of corruption, such as when the family surrendered property worth PKR 55.3 million in Kohistan financial scandal.
ALSO READ: A key figure of Kohistan Scandal seeks for plea-bargain
For broadcast coverage on the NAB investigations and asset recoveries in this case, watch this report on Rs. 40 Billion Scam Exposed in Kohistan Scandal.
This video is relevant as it provides official news broadcast coverage of the NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa investigation and asset recovery actions in the multi-billion rupee Kohistan financial scandal.
