NAB recovers Rs20 billion in Kohistan scandal, KP PAC orders suspensions

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced the recovery of Rs20 billion in connection with the Rs40 billion corruption scandal in Kohistan, the largest ever recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). 

The province’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided by the Finance Department, Communications and Works (C&W) Department, and the Accountant General’s office, and has directed the suspension of all implicated officers—including Executive Engineers and Sub-Divisional Officers—within three days. 

The Director General of Audit has also been tasked with conducting a special audit of government accounts across 36 districts.

During a PAC meeting, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati questioned the transfer of the Accountant General at such a critical juncture and announced that the committee will write to the Accountant General of Pakistan to prevent any transfer until the inquiry is complete. 

The meeting revealed that nine officials involved in the case have already been suspended. Tensions surfaced as government officials blamed each other, and a heated exchange took place between opposition member Ahmad Kundi and Finance Adviser Muzzammil Aslam.

Speaker Swati highlighted the case as the largest corruption scandal in KP’s history, noting that investigations implicate the Finance Department, C&W, and the Accountant General’s office, though no political figures have yet been named.