ISLAMABAD, Feb 28 (TNS): The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi has formally started an investigation against officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA) for allegedly misusing their authority in allotment of plot to M/s BNP Group for construction of Grand Hyatt Tower at Constitutional Avenue Islamabad.
According to CDA sources, the FIA had submitted a challan of corruption of Rs25 billion in the Grand Hyatt case and its FIR was registered on May 2, 2017.
This FIR was registered against former CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari, former Member Planning Brig (retd) Nusrat Ullah, former Member Finance Kamran Qureshi, former Member Admin Shoukat Ali, former Member Engineering Mian Moinud Din Kakakhel, former Director Estate Habib Gilani and Dr Faisal Awan.
The FIA in its challan had declared it to be a scandal worth Rs25 billion and alleged that the land was allotted for the Grand Hyatt Hotel in connivance with the CDA officers. The person allotted the land deposited only 15 percent of the total cost and even then he was allowed to seek a huge bank loan.
The allottee, instead of building service apartments, built luxury apartments and sold them. In accordance with the agreement, the hotel was not built rather the apartments were constructed. The plot allottee did not even return the bank guarantees.
The BCS cancelled the lease of the plot and the CDA tried to take possession of it. The owners of the apartments went to the court but the Islamabad High Court upheld the cancellation of the Grand Hyatt Hotel lease. But it ordered the CDA to return the amount to the owners. Now when the CDA was prepared to submit a plan to the High Court, although the FIA has cleared the the officials in the scam, but NAB has started investigation.
