Pakistani court approves contractor’s 20 million rupee settlement deal — Dawn

A court in Peshawar, Pakistan, has approved a 20 million rupee settlement agreement between private contractor Saifullah and Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a case involving the alleged embezzlement of more than 37 billion rupees from the bank accounts of the Upper Kohistan district finance office.

As Dawn reports, Judge Mohammad Zafar ordered Saifullah’s release if his detention is not required in another case. The court also released him from further obligations under the agreement and disqualified him from holding public office under Section 15 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

Payment and contractor’s statement

The court noted that Saifullah confirmed that the agreement with NAB was voluntary and stated that there had been no coercion, pressure or compulsion. According to the court, on September 11, 2026, he paid the full amount of the liability — 20 million rupees — through two pay orders.

A resident of Dasu in Upper Kohistan, he admitted in his statement that he acted in the scheme as a contractor through the sole proprietorship Kohistan and Company and fraudulently used its bank account. He also stated that the company had not carried out construction work and had been created to cash illegal payments.

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NAB investigation

NAB representatives approached the court under Section 25(b) read with Section 15 of the National Accountability Ordinance. They said that the bureau’s chairman approved the agreement on October 14, 2026.

According to the bureau, the case concerns an alleged conspiracy involving Saifullah, other accused persons, officials of the Upper Kohistan Communication and Works Department, the district finance office, employees of the National Bank of Pakistan branch in Dasu, and private contractors. NAB alleges that funds from various projects were siphoned off through fictitious payments in the names of contractors who performed no work.

The bureau said it received information about a possible large-scale financial scheme on April 8, 2025. According to NAB, its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unit has so far arrested about 40 accused persons in the case.