During a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, it was decided that One Constitution Avenue must be evacuated immediately. The owners of the building failed to pay more than Rs. 14 billion, which resulted in the cancellation of their land lease. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has now taken control of the building.
The committee also directed that the owners of the building be added to the Exit Control List (ECL) and that their bank accounts be frozen by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The PAC Chairman, Noor Alam Khan, asked whether the Supreme Court could change the building’s plan, which raised questions about the authority of the Chief Justice at the time.
The CDA Member State explained that the lease of One Constitution Avenue was canceled in 2016 due to non-payment but was later reinstated on the orders of the Supreme Court. However, the lease was once again canceled on Tuesday due to non-payment, and an administrator was appointed to the building. The CDA has a responsibility to recover more than Rs. 14 billion from the owners of One Constitution Avenue.
During the meeting, the PAC Chairman also ordered for the tax returns and money trail of the owners to be checked. Additionally, the committee has asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to reopen the case of land allotment for the building.
The CDA assumed control of One Constitution Avenue in the presence of the PAC chairman, CDA chairman, and board members. The building will now be administered by the Director Estate (Commercial). According to documents provided by the CDA, the owners of One Constitution Avenue only paid Rs. 2.916 billion in 2021, which is significantly less than the Rs. 17.50 billion outlined in the re-adjusted plan presented by the PAC and directed by the Supreme Court on 09-01-2019.