Transparency International Pakistan chairman Adil Gilani is facing a probe by the Federal Investigation Agency in connection with a land scam involving the National Insurance Corporation Limited.
"We have summoned Mr Gilani on December 23 for questioning in connection with his role in the Rs 3.3-billion land scam in Lahore," FIA's local director Zafar Ahmed Qureshi told reporters.
Mr Qureshi said he had asked Mr Gilani to cooperate with the team conducting investigation on basis of disclosures by former NICL chairman Ayaz Khan Niazi.
"On Mr Gilani's reluctance to appear before the probing team, we have sent him a questionnaire about allegations against him," he said.
The Pakistan People's Party-led government, which faced embarrassment due to the country's poor ranking in the transparency international report, recently directed authorities to probe activities of the organisation's officials. The PPP also severely criticised Mr Gilani for his "anti-government" role.
According to Niazi's statement, Amin Qasim Dada, a member of the NICL's board of directors, had told him and other members that Mr Gilani wanted to sign an agreement with the firm regarding the award of contracts for different projects. When this was not done, Mr Gilani used transparency international to start a campaign against NICL's deals, Niazi alleged.
The FIA has registered two cases in connection with the land scam in the NICL and arrested 11 people, including Niazi and former minister Habibullah Warriach, under various provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Three other accused, Mohsin Habib Warriach, Amin Qasim Dada and Javed Syed, are at large. The FIA has obtained a red corner notice from interpol for Mohsin Warraich and requested British authorities to extradite him.
According to the FIR, Mohsin Warraich's company messrs privilege purchased 803 kanals of land from NICL at Mauza Toor in Lahore for Rs 1.68 billion in February.
"It transpired that the corporation had sold the land without getting the land mutated in its favour. This is a serious breach of financial discipline and a major irregularity," the FIR said.
In the other case, NICL sold land measuring 20 kanals at Airport Road to Mohsin Warriach for Rs 1.7 billion. It sold the land for Rs 53 million per kanal though the market value is much higher, thus causing a loss of Rs 915 million to the exchequer.