The Accountability Court on Monday rejected National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) request to extend physical remand of senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal and sent him to jail on judicial remand till February 7 in the Narowal Sport City Complex Project (NSCCP) scam.
The NAB officials produced Ahsan Iqbal before Accountability Court Judge Azam Khan following expiry of his physical remand. The NAB prosecutor requested the court to extend physical remand of the accused for another 14 days in order to conduct further investigation from him. The court turned down the NAB's request and sent Iqbal on judicial remand to jail till next hearing.
The judge observed that the accused has already been in the NAB's custody for 28 days. "Does NAB want 90-day physical remand of the accused?" the judge asked.
During the course of hearing, the NAB prosecutor told the court that Iqbal was arrested on December 23 as the probe into the case is underway. He further said that the investigators have taken relevant record into their custody and also recorded statements of witnesses following the arrest of the PML-N leader. Out of nine districts, the NAB has obtained property record from some districts, he said.
Meanwhile, the court permitted the accused to meet his family members inside jail. The court also allowed the accused to have home-cooked food and access to medical treatment.
In a brief chat with the media outside the court, Ahsan Iqbal said, "How can you expect from a man (the PM) who has asked for charity in all his life that he will be able to run an economy?"
He said that flour is being sold at over Rs70 per kg and unemployment is rising. He said, "The youth are roaming in streets with degrees in their hands to find jobs."
According to NAB, the record collected so far revealed that instead of getting approval of the Central Development Working Party, the scope of the NSCCP was substantially altered, Iqbal accorded approval on his own and approved the same with malafide intentions without taking the matter before the CDWP.
The NAB says that NSCCP was initiated without any feasibility study in violation of Planning Commission Development Manual regarding feasibility of new developmental projects. It was necessary to prepare feasibility study of projects costing more than Rs 50 million and Iqbal enhanced the scope with malafide intention by directing the design consultants of the NSCCP.
"Later on, revised PC-1 costing Rs 2,498.779 million was prepared and scope was enhanced manifolds and subsequently it was approved by CDWP headed by Iqbal on July 17, 2014. Likewise the 2nd revised PC-1 costing Rs 2,994.329 million was prepared and was approved by CDWP on May 3, 2017," it said.
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