Ziaullah remanded in third scam

Brought to Federal Judicial Complex amid tight security


Our Correspondent August 07, 2015
Ziaullah Afridi waves to his supporters after his hearing. PHOTO: PPI

PESHAWAR: The Ehtesab Commission (EC) has obtained a six-day physical custody of former mines and minerals minister Ziaullah Afridi in third case of illegal mining.

The accused was brought to the Federal Judicial Complex, Hayatabad at 10:30am in an armoured personnel carrier amid tight security on Friday. A large number of Ziaullah’s supporters turned up for the hearing and shouted slogans against the chief minister. The commission declared the complex off-limits for everyone. It later allowed the media to cover the proceedings and assured not to repeat the same on the next hearing. He was presented before the court of judge Hayat Ali Shah and the trial was over by 12:30pm.

The court ordered to shift Ziaullah to Central Prison Peshawar against the judicial remand granted in two earlier cases. However, he could not be moved to the jail since he has now been booked in a third case.

Ziaullah’s counsel Abdul Latif Afridi said, “The EC claimed in the initial case that the illegal mining had caused a loss of Rs150 billion to the government exchequer and the third case is part of it. How can it now be said that a new case is registered and my client will be remanded for more days?”

He opposed the extension of physical custody in the two previous cases and also the new one. The counsel said most districts of the province have mines and it is not justified that his client should be arrested.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court granted six days of custody to the EC and ordered it to produce the accused on August 12.

According to a handout issued by the commission on Thursday, the accused, as mines and mineral minister, used his position to influence the members of mining committee to process the renewal and assignment of Chromite Tangi mines from Muhammad Ayaz to Jalal Khattak against the Mining Concession Rules 2005.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2015.

COMMENTS (1)

Sodomite | 8 years ago | Reply Jail this man for LIFE. And all others like him.
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