Land scam: Five KDA officers taken into custody

NAB held the suspects after court dismissed their bail applications

KARACHI: Five officers of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) allegedly involved in illegal land allotment landed in the lock-up on Thursday as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) foiled their attempt to escape from the Sindh High Court (SHC) premises following dismissal of their bail applications.

A division bench, headed by Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh, had rejected bail applications filed by the KDA officials who are facing a NAB inquiry in connection with illegal allotments, known as china-cutting, in Karachi worth Rs500 million.

The accused include KDA director Abdul Qavi Khan, additional director Nasir Sheikh, master plan director Rashid Aqeel and director Mumtazul Haq.



NAB had taken them into custody and initiated inquiry against them over allegations of corruption worth Rs500 million through allotment of plots.

As proceedings were initiated at the accountability court, the accused had moved the SHC for grant of pre-arrest bail in the case.

They had argued that the accountability bureau had made a false case against them. The court was pleaded to grant bail to the petitioners, as they apprehended arrest by the NAB.

During Thursday's proceedings, the two-judge bench dismissed the petitions after NAB opposed their requests, arguing that enough evidence was available to prove their guilt.

The petitioners left the courtroom in a hurry in an attempt to dodge NAB officials who were present there, but the authorities managed to trace them and take them into custody.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th,  2016.