ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday requested the Accountability Court to reject plea of accused of illegal allotment of amenity plots at Nehr-e-Khayyam Karachi to M/s Friends Associates case against Manzoor Qadir alias Kaka, an influential man close to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and others, in which, he challenged the territorial jurisdiction of this court.

Accountability Court-II judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while hearing the case did not approve the NAB’s request and remarked that the court would decide the application after hearing the arguments of Amjad Iqbal Qureshi, the counsel for accused.

Due to non-availability of Amjad Iqbal Qureshi, the court adjourned the case hearing till July 6.

The NAB prosecutor, while arguing before the court against the application of the accused regarding the territorial jurisdiction of the Court for further proceedings of instant reference, said the case fell under the jurisdiction of that court. He requested to court to dismiss the application.

However, the judge remarked that court would decide the application after hearing the arguments of Qureshi. The court adjourned the case hearing till July 6.

The 16 accused of the case include former SBCA Manzoor Qadir alias Kaka, Omni Group’s Abdul Ghani Majeed, Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, Badiuz Zaman, Mumtaz Haider, Rashid Aqeel, Anwar Abbasi, and others.

The bureau on May 23, 2019 authorised filing of a corruption reference against former director general SBCA, Karachi and others.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022