Corruption case against former secretary: AC directs NAB to submit reply on acquittal pleas

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Thursday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit its reply regarding the acquittal applications of the accused in a corruption reference pertaining to embezzlement of around Rs 40 million in plots allocated for martyrs’ widows against former interior secretary Shahid Khan and others.

Accountability Court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan while hearing the case observed that the NAB has not submitted its reply regarding acquittal applications filed under the National Accountability (second and third amendment) Ordinances 2021 by accused Rafiq Hassan, Tariq Hanif, M Zafar Iqbal Sabir, and Nadeem Mohsin Khan Lodhi. The court asked the NAB to submit its reply before it before the next hearing to be held on April 21.

Usman Masood Mirza, prosecutor NAB and Dr Shafique Chaudhry, the defense counsel for the accused, Rafiq Hassan, Tariq Hanif, M Zafar Iqbal Sabir, and Nadeem Mohsin Khan Lodhi appeared before the court.

The NAB in November 2020 filed a reference against former secretary interior Shahid Khan and others.

The NAB reference alleged that the former secretary had devoured the expensive commercial plot of the National Police Foundation (NPF), which was allocated for the families of martyrs.

It said that the accused applied against the plot and then got allotted it to him. The accused got this commercial plot in Sector E-II against only Rs2 million and sold it out against Rs40 million after just two days. The reference said that the former secretary was not eligible for the plot in accordance with the top court’s judgment. The NAB Chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal had taken suo motu action against the accused in 2015.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022