Land scam case: LHC allows bail to former minister, four other accused

Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik of the Lahore High Court here Thursday allowed bail to former minister for defence Major (Retd) Habibullah Warraich and four other accused involved in land scam of National Insurance Corporation Limited (NICL) owned by MPA Moonis Elahi.
The other four accused include Syed Hurr Riahi Gardezi, Syed Ali Athar Naqvi, Muhammad Zahoor and Syed Zahid Hussain. Justice Manzoor Malik after hearing the accused counsels and investigation officer of FIA observed that the amount of Rs 40.4 million allegedly embezzled by Habibullah had been reimbursed to the account of NICL and the case required further inquiry.
While allowing bail to accused Gardezi, one of the directors of the corporation, the judge held that the accused had not attended the meeting of board of directors wherein decision about purchase and fixation of rate of the disputed land was finalised.
The accused Athar, Zahoor and Zahid were not the members of board of directors, therefore had no role in policymaking, the judge wrote in his orders allowing them bail. While two more accused involved in the NICL land scam withdrew their bail petitions. According to prosecution accused Habibullah Warraich his son Mohsin Warraich, Muhammad Maalick, manager NICL, were accused of misappropriating its funds on account of land purchase. Mohsin and Moonis escaped abroad after FIA started investigation against them.