Corruption charges : Former petroleum secretary’s plea dismissed

KARACHI: An accountability court dismissed on Thursday a plea for exemption from personal appearance by a co-accused in a corruption reference against former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain.

Ejaz Chaudhry, who held the post of petroleum secretary when Dr Asim was its minister, contended that his family was residing in the federal capital and it was inconvenient for him to travel to Karachi twice every month.

Chaudhry has been charged as one of the key suspects in a corruption reference in which gas was ‘illegally’ curtailed to the agriculture sector to benefit a particular group.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) contends the price of fertilisers was arbitrarily hiked in the country and the ministers allegedly received kickbacks in return. Furthermore, the same reference also reads land scam charges.

During the Thursday hearing, the NAB prosecutor opposed Chaudhry’s application, contending that it was an excuse to hinder case proceedings.

Meanwhile, another co-accused, Abdul Hameed, the finance director of Ziauddin Group, also appeared in court. He remained absconding since the start of the proceedings and appeared after seeking protective bail from the Sindh High Court.

The hearing was fixed to record testimony of a witness named in the case by the NAB. However, the witness, who is said to be an official of the revenue department, could not make it to the court. The judge adjourned the hearing till June 1.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2016.