Navy Housing Society malfeasance case: SC dismisses bail plea of former sub-registrar

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has dismissed the bail appeal of former sub-registrar Pakistan Navy (Civilians Non-gazetted Employees) Cooperative Housing Society in an alleged misappropriation of over Rs1.3 billion funds of the society and cheating the public at large.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard the post-arrest bail of Farman Ali Kalhoro Abbasi, ex-sub-registrar Navy Housing Society. The petitioner's counsel requested the court to grant bail to Farman on medical grounds, as he is a cardiac patient and a retired civil servant.

Justice Bandial said that relief on medical grounds is not before this court; therefore, he should approach the competent forum for bail on medical grounds. The counsel; therefore, withdrew the appeal. The bench dismissed it as per withdrawal.

Justice Bandial noted that there are reasonable grounds to connect the accused with the offence. He said that original plan of the society was in the knowledge of the accused but he ignored it and violated the law.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested and booked the then deputy registrar of the provincial cooperative societies department, Syed Jawed Ali, along with Farman Ali Kalhoro, Mohammad Yaqoob Mandhro, Mohammad Sadiq Rajar, Mohammad Arif Baloch, Danish, Qasim Ali Mandhro, Abdul Rehman Mandhro, and Yaqoob Mandhro in July 9, 2019.

Imranul Haq, special prosecutor general NAB told that the accused violated the provision of The Registration (Sindh Amendment) Act, 2013. He said there were three allegations against the accused is that amenities plots were converted into residential plots.

The petitioner was required to examine the legality and authenticity of the documents, which he did not do. The registration was made on the forged layout plan. The plots sale proceed were transferred in the bank accounts of the main accused.

According to the NAB, the accused obtained bogus allotments of plots in the Pakistan Navy Cooperative Housing Society and cheated the public at large along with their alleged accomplices.

The NAB had initiated inquiry against the accused on a complaint filed by some allottees of the society and summoned the then secretary of the provincial cooperatives department. The inquiry revealed that the society was allotted 25 acres in Sector 21-A, Scheme-33 in Gulzar-i-Hijri neighbourhood of the metropolis. As per an approved plan, there were 373 residential plots in addition to amenity plots, etc.

The NAB alleged that the accused persons, in connivance with the then officials of the cooperatives department, had allegedly illegally usurped plots in connivance with each other and misappropriated funds of Rs1,367,299,800.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021