Embezzlement in uniforms' purchase: SC rejects NAB appeal against PR officer

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal filed by top anti-graft body against a divisional officer for alleged embezzlement in purchase of uniforms for railways staff. Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, while rejecting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) appeal against Abid Ali, a divisional transportation officer of Pakistan Railways, said why big fish are not caught while smaller employees are made scapegoats.

He said that nothing could be done without the consent of senior officers, adding why the NAB did not nominate the divisional superintendent railways. "One can see the ill-intent of NAB in this particular case...the divisional transportation officer was trapped for trying to improve things," remarked the top judge. According to NAB prosecutor, the accused had committed embezzlement of Rs 127.471 million, besides making transactions twice a year.

On this, the Chief Justice said that the reference was filed in 2002, and despite passage of so many years, the NAB has no solid evidence against the accused. He said that the accused was acquitted by high court on merit after a trial court awarded him with a ten-year sentence. The NAB appeal was rejected hence bringing a smile on the gloomy face of the accused who had been moving from one court to another since 2002.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019