PESHAWAR, Jul 16 (Alliance News): In a stunning turn of events, the Rs40 billion Kohistan corruption scandal has shaken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) intensified its probe by launching a formal investigation and freezing assets worth Rs25 billion, The News reported on Wednesday.
The scandal, which spans several years, involves a sophisticated web of government officials, contractors, and banking personnel accused of looting the public exchequer with blatant impunity.
As part of its crackdown, NAB has recovered a staggering trove of luxury goods and property assets amassed through illicit gains.
The assets include a lavish bungalow featured in the acclaimed TV serial Pari Zaad, along with 77 luxury vehicles worth Rs940 million. The collection features high-end brands such as Porsche Taycan, Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Ford Mustang, Audi, Fortuner, and Hilux Revo.
In addition to the vehicles, NAB has seized over Rs1 billion in cash and foreign currency, more than three kilogrammes of gold, and frozen Rs5 billion across 73 bank accounts.
The scale of real estate seizures is equally startling. NAB has confiscated 109 properties across Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Mansehra, comprising four farmhouses, 30 houses, 25 flats and penthouses, 12 commercial plazas, 12 shops and food courts, two commercial plots, and 175 kanals of agricultural land. The total value of these assets is estimated at Rs17 billion.
Sources say multiple high-profile arrests are expected within the next 24 to 48 hours as NAB completes final preparations.
Officials revealed that the fraud was executed with calculated precision through an elaborate network of collusion involving public sector employees, contractors, and financial institutions. The accused siphoned off billions without attracting scrutiny from any regulatory bodies.
NAB’s formal investigation marks a critical step toward accountability in one of the largest corruption cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s history, as the agency moves swiftly to prevent further dissipation of illicit assets.
