A major development has emerged in the high-profile Kohistan corruption case as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) returned more than Rs6 billion in recovered assets to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The handover marks the first phase of asset recovery in one of Pakistan’s largest alleged financial fraud investigations.
The Kohistan corruption case came under investigation after NAB authorized an inquiry in April 2024 into suspected misuse of public funds in Upper Kohistan. Investigators later uncovered a large-scale embezzlement scheme involving the manipulation of treasury instruments and alleged abuse of official financial procedures over several years.
According to NAB, the investigation revealed that more than Rs37 billion had been traced in connection with the alleged fraud. The inquiry was conducted by NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the support of a Combined Investigation Team, which carried out extensive financial scrutiny and asset tracing operations.
During a formal ceremony, Nazir Ahmad handed over the recovered assets to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration. The recovered assets include cash reserves, precious metals, luxury vehicles, and high-value residential and commercial properties identified during the investigation.
کوہستان سکینڈل میں نیب نے پیچیدہ مالیاتی نیٹ ورک کا سراغ لگا لیا، 37 ارب روپے سے زائد کی مالی بے ضابطگیاں
نیب پشاور کے دفتر میں ریکور شدہ اثاثوں کی حوالگی کی تقریب کے دوران بتایا گیا کہ کوہستان سکینڈل میں 1500 سے زائد بینک اکاؤنٹس کی جانچ پڑتال کی گئی، ،نیب نے 27 ارب روپے سے… pic.twitter.com/9AyGuEQLBV
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) June 2, 2026
Officials stated that the Kohistan corruption case involved complex financial transactions spread across numerous accounts. Investigators examined more than 1,500 bank accounts and used forensic financial analysis to identify money trails and allegedly illegal asset acquisitions connected to the scheme.
A significant breakthrough occurred when investigators traced transactions through an account linked to government contractor Mumtaz Khan. Financial records reportedly showed transactions worth approximately Rs17 billion moving through the district accounts office within a short period, prompting NAB to freeze funds and prevent further losses.
NAB said assets worth more than Rs27 billion have been frozen, while additional recoveries exceeding Rs10 billion were secured through plea bargains. The bureau described the Kohistan corruption case as a major example of accountability efforts aimed at recovering public funds and ensuring that state resources are returned for public benefit.
