PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Zahoor Ahmed, former manager of a branch in Dasu, Upper Kohistan, over his alleged role in a Rs 40 billion corruption scandal.
Ahmed is accused of bypassing critical banking oversight measures during his tenure from 2019 to 2022, which enabled the fraudulent encashment of treasury cheques in collusion with contractors and officials from the Communication and Works Department. According to NAB sources, call-up notices have been issued to a few more accused in the Kohistan scandal, including two members of parliament.
Investigators say the accused banker also opened a company account under his brother’s name, “A. Q. Construction,” to launder over Rs. 1 billion in embezzled funds, concealing the scam and helping sustain its operations.
Following Ahmed’s detention, the total number of arrests in the case has risen to nine, with NAB confirming that more arrests are expected. The Accountability Court has granted NAB an eight-day physical remand of the suspects to investigate further what officials describe as one of the largest financial frauds in KP’s history.
