PESHAWAR: After taking three-and-a-half years to complete the investigation, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Principal Secretary Azam Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak in the 275-acre Malam Jabba skiing-chairlift resort case.
According to details, the decisions were taken at the bureau’s Executive Board Meeting (EBM) presided over by NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal. Meanwhile, NAB also approved a new inquiry against former finance minister Miftah Ismail of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
“The EBM was informed that in Malam Jabba case on the writ petition of Samon Group, the Peshawar High Court ordered constitution of a committee which was headed by additional chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The EBM committee pointed out some irregularities in tendering process,” said a press release.
It further stated, “The EBM decided to refer irregularities to the KP chief secretary to have departmental action as per law after affording hearing opportunity to the officials concerned with the condition that in case any restraining order by the court, the case can be taken up after approval of the competent authority.”
The Malam Jabba scandal surfaced on January 7, 2018. The NAB chairperson, after declaring it a classic example of corruption and misuse of authority, ordered an inquiry on January 9, 2018.
In 2020, on orders of the Peshawar High Court, a senior official committee submitted a six-page report saying that 270 acres of land in Malam Jabba belonged to the tourism department and its entry to the revenue record was erroneous.
The former head of Ehtesab Commission, General (retired) Hamid Khan, had raised serious objections in his letter, IW/EC/MalamJabba/ 01, on April 15, 2015, saying the bidding process was suspicious.
The Samson Company submitted the amount late and it had no experience in the hotel industry. The letter said that the lease contract was given to a favourite company. Similar suspicions were expressed by the CM Inspection Team head in another letter on February 26, 2016.
Documents show that former CM Pervez Khattak, in two meetings on October 11 and December 19, 2013, decided to contact the Australian government or the PAF for the Malam Jaba project, but the tourism department did not contact them.
No feasibility, technical, financial, or pre-qualification criteria were set for the project, the documents confirmed.
