PESHAWAR: In the Rs40 billion Kohistan mega corruption scandal, a dumper driver, who later turned into a billionaire, has agreed to deposit Rs4.05 billion in the national exchequer. The Peshawar Accountability Court has approved his plea bargain application.
The hearing regarding the accused and his plea bargain application was conducted by Accountability Courts’ Administrative Judge Zafar Khan. During the proceedings, Deputy Prosecutor General of NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Ali, appeared before the court and informed it that the accused, Mumtaz Kohistan, was involved in the mega corruption scandal. He told the court that the NAB had conducted a formal investigation against the accused and obtained evidence of transactions amounting to Rs4 billion in his bank accounts. Meanwhile, the accused submitted a request to the NAB expressing his willingness to enter into a plea bargain and sought approval of his application. After fulfilling all legal requirements, the application was forwarded to the NAB chairman who approved the plea bargain. The court was subsequently requested to endorse the decision. The court approved the accused’s plea bargain involving Rs4.05 billion.
According to NAB officials, Mumtaz had set up a fake construction company in his name through which fraudulent billing was carried out to siphon off public funds. Several other accused have also submitted plea bargain applications, which are currently under consideration.
The NAB officials confirmed that Mumtaz was arrested on October 9, 2025. By profession, he was a dumper driver who later emerged as the owner of assets worth billions of rupees, raising serious questions about financial oversight and accountability. Investigations revealed that Mumtaz was acting as a frontman for Qaisar, a clerk in the Communication and Works (C&W) Department, who allegedly became a billionaire through the scam. The actual financial planning, creation of fake companies and embezzlement of government funds were allegedly carried out by Qaisar, while Mumtaz was portrayed as the owner of the bogus construction company.
The NAB officials stated that investigators were initially taken aback upon discovering that the registered owner of the construction company was a dumper driver and that billions of rupees had been transferred directly into his company’s account from government accounts. They said the recovered amount represented only a portion of the total embezzled funds, while further recoveries were underway.
So far, the NAB has arrested more than 36 accused in connection with the scandal, while assets worth Rs30 billion have been sealed and bank accounts frozen. Plea bargain applications filed by other accused are also pending before the NAB. The bureau maintains that action will continue until full recovery of the looted public money is ensured and the role of every individual involved is determined.
The Rs40 billion Kohistan scandal is being described as one of the largest financial corruption cases in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, exposing serious flaws in public sector accountability, financial monitoring and transparency within government departments.
