Assets case: LHC grants bail to Fawad Hassan Fawad

• Fawad’s legal representative told the court there has been substantial delay in trial and that his client should be granted bail.
• NAB prosecutor accused Fawad of owning a plaza in Rawalpindi valued at Rs5 billion and 14 “benami” bank accounts.
• Court ordered to release Fawad over surety bond of Rs1 million.

(Karachi) The Lahore High Court has granted bail to Fawad Hassan Fawad in accumulating assets beyond means case, media reported on Tuesday. Fawad was the former principal secretary of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The LHC’s two-member bench, comprising Justice Tariq Abbasi, was hearing the bail petition filed by the legal team of Fawad Hassan Fawad.

During the hearing, Fawad’s legal representative Azam Nazeer Tarar told the court that there has been substantial delay in trial.

He argued that his client had been behind bars for 15 months and his health had also deteriorated during the detention. He had asked the court to release him on bail as the trial had not been completed.

The NAB prosecutor accused Fawad of owning a plaza in Rawalpindi valued at Rs5 billion and 14 “benami” bank accounts.

However, Fawad’s legal representative said that the said plaza was, in fact, owned by a company of his brothers and other family members. He said the plaza was constructed with a bank loan and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had its complete record since 1995.

After hearing the arguments, the court granted bail to Fawad Hassan Fawad and ordered him to submit surety of Rs1 million.

Meanwhile, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif has welcomed the court’s decision of granting bail to Fawad. He said it is a matter of pity that a talented man had to suffer without any evidence against him.

He remarked, “Today another innocent person gets justice.”

Earlier on February 14, the court had denied him bail in the same case while allowing in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam wherein he was nominated by NAB.

Fawad was nominated in the Ashiana scam for his alleged involvement in the Rs14 billion scam.