Rawalpindi
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi on Wednesday filed a corruption reference against former Pakistani ambassador to Bulgaria AS Babar Hashmi for embezzling millions of rupees in embassy funds in Bulgaria. Former accountant of the embassy Tufail Qazi is also accused of aiding Babar Hashmi. According to the NAB reference, Babar Hashmi and Tufail Qazi from 2016 to 2018 continued to use embassy funds for personal use.
The NAB reference stated that funds of the Pakistan Embassy in Bulgaria were withdrawn and no receipt was submitted to the Chief Accountant. The matter surfaced when the new accountant was appointed in the Pakistan Embassy in Bulgaria. It is pertinent to note that the Foreign Office itself referred the reference to the NAB for probe into the funds embezzlement matter.
In 2018, Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Bulgaria Babar Hashmi along with an accounts official after receiving reports of huge financial embezzlement at the Pakistan Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria. He remained in Sofia, Bulgaria from March 18, 2016 to February 10, 2019 as Pakistan envoy.—INP
