Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has detained former Rawalpindi commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mahmood and Land Acquisition Commissioner Wasim Tabish for their alleged participation in the Rawalpindi Ring Road scandal, according to the organization’s Director General Gohar Nafees.
According to Nafees, the file was sent to ACE on May 22 and his organisation concluded its investigation 15 days ahead of schedule.
“We looked at over 21,000 documents, and the alignment (project track) was authorised by the previous administration in 2018,” Nafees added. The alignment was later modified, and the Attock loop was constructed, he said, adding that the project’s construction cost increased to Rs40 billion as a result of the adjustments.
According to the DG, the construction business was ordered to modify the project’s alignment in March 2020. According to him, the length of the route increased from 22 to 68 kilometres as a result of the alteration.
In response to the probe, Nafees stated, “The consent (for the change in alignment) was not sought from the Punjab chief minister.” He went on to say that the project included new interchanges and that no No-Objection Certifications (NOCs) from the Capital Development Authority or the National Highway Authority were required.
Land cannot be purchased until the alignment is completed, according to the DG ACE. He went on to say that land worth Rs2.6 billion was acquired without the new alignment’s permission, resulting in the money being wasted.
According to Nafees, the land in Rawalpindi was acquired at a lesser price, while the land in Attock was obtained at a higher price. He went on to say that the Rs2.1 billion was spent on land purchases in Attock.
According to the official, Mahmood is accused of abusing his authority, while Tabish is suspected of corruptly purchasing property worth tens of millions of rupees.
He said that an investigation into Mahmood’s benami assets is now ongoing.
According to Nafees, modifications were made to the project to benefit the contractor, exposing the bureaucracy-property mafia connection.
He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan contacted former Commissioner Mahmood about the reorganisation, but Mahmood “gave him with the incorrect facts.”
During the investigation, Nafees added, benamidar accounts from aboard had surfaced.
He also mentioned that irregularities were discovered in eleven housing organisations.