NAB probes Yellow Line graft suspect for assets, illegal appointments

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has intensified its scrutiny of Zameer Abbasi, the primary suspect in the Rs8.5 billion Yellow Line graft case. NAB is now investigating allegations of Abbasi possessing assets far exceeding his known income and engaging in "illegal appointments" or "promotions" within the Sindh government.

This new inquiry follows an earlier booking of Abbasi, the former project director of the Karachi Mobility Project (KMP), by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Sindh. The ACE investigation centered on alleged financial mismanagement within the KMP, specifically concerning Rs8.5 billion in advance payments made to contractors without bank guarantees. The contracts reportedly lacked clauses for such advance payments or financial assistance.

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the NAB had initiated an inquiry against the senior bureaucrat over allegations of possessing assets beyond his known sources of income and illegal appointments or promotions in the Sindh government.

Sources indicate NAB is seeking comprehensive details on Abbasi's immovable properties, including those registered under his wife, children, and other family members. Abbasi's career path, which included stints in the Sindh police and later the NAB, has also come under scrutiny. Allegations suggest irregularities in his appointment as a grade-17 section officer and an out-of-turn promotion to grade 19, which were reportedly challenged in court. Despite a court suspension of a key 2022 appointment, Abbasi later secured another significant position. He was apprehended by ACE in Lahore and his bail application was rejected.

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Abbasi and then director procurement Jhaman made Rs8.5bn advance payments to contractors without bank guarantees despite the fact that their contracts lacked any specific clause regarding “advance payment and financial assistance to the contractors”.