Peshawar: In a major development in the Rs40 billion Kohistan mega corruption scandal, a dumper driver-turned-billionaire, Mumtaz, has agreed to return more than Rs4 billion to the national exchequer under a plea bargain arrangement.
An accountability court in Peshawar approved Mumtaz’s plea bargain request after he agreed to deposit the amount, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The hearing was conducted by Administrative Judge of Accountability Courts Zafar Khan, where Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Ali appeared on behalf of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The court was informed that Mumtaz is a key accused in the Kohistan mega corruption case. NAB carried out a detailed investigation and obtained evidence of Rs4 billion worth of transactions in the accused’s bank accounts.
During the investigation, Mumtaz submitted a request to NAB seeking a plea bargain, which was later placed before the court and approved.
NAB officials said that several other accused persons in the Kohistan corruption case have also filed plea bargain applications. They clarified that the recovered amount represents only a portion of the total scam, while efforts are underway to recover more funds.
So far, over 36 accused have been arrested, while assets worth Rs30 billion have been sealed and bank accounts frozen as part of the ongoing investigation.