Corruption charges: PHC restrains police from arresting former ACE director and others

PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court restrained the police from arresting former anti-corruption establishment director Ziaullah Toru and others. It told them to appear before the court concerned within seven days to quash FIRs registered against them.

Toru’s counsel Malik Imad Azam appeared before the bench of PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Roohul Amin Chamkani on Tuesday. He told the court that petitioners were serving at ACE and had been nominated in an FIR.

Azam said the petitioner initiated an enquiry on various development projects and recovered millions in embezzled money from the contractors. The amount was subsequently deposited to the national exchequer. However, he said, the petitioners were charged for not depositing the amount in the national kitty.

Calling the FIR baseless, he said people on whose complaint the FIR was registered recorded their statements before the investigation officer. They denied lodging any kind of complaint.

The contractor’s counsel, Taqqi Ghulam, also appeared before the court and said his client wanted to record his statement in favour of the petitioner.

The bench directed him to appear before the court concerned and record his statement. The bench also heard a transfer application Toru filed against the move from ACE to the provincial services academy director.

Azam said the transfer was based on malafide intentions and was in violation of a deputation policy. He added the action also affected the recovery of looted money.

He contended the recovery ratio was reduced from Rs70 million to just Rs100,000 a month. The counsel showed the exemplary manner in which the institutions were being run.

The bench adjourned the case after a request from the respondents’ counsel.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2016.