Property fraud: High court dismisses bail applications

PESHAWAR: A division bench of the Peshawar High Court dismissed the bail applications of four suspects involved a property fraud case and sent them to prison.

The suspects – Mehtab Ali, Malik Habib, Bostaan and Adil Shaukat –were accused by the National Accountability Bureau of usurping property.

The bench, headed by PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, was informed that NAB had arrested the suspects following an investigation.

The applicants’ lawyers said this was a civil case and an FIR had been registered against their clients. They argued NAB had no authority to arrest the suspects under such circumstances. The lawyers insisted NAB should suspend its investigation in the case.

However, NAB prosecutor Umer Farooq said the police have registered an FIR and the case was subsequently handed over to the bureau. He added the bureau’s investigation had revealed that the suspects had usurped property worth Rs270 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2016.