Ex-MoFA director to be indicted on October 20

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has set October 20 as the date of for indicting former director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shafqat Ali Cheema, in a case of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court granted Cheema post-arrest bail on medical grounds against surety of Rs3 million.

Cheema’s counsel, had argued that no one can be accused merely on the basis of having assets. He added Cheema had other sources of income, including income from agricultural land and from the business of his deceased brother.

The NAB authorities had maintained that heavy turnover was seen while searching bank accounts and other businesses of Cheema, adding salary and service records had also been received from concerned quarters.

The authority also stated that Cheema had frequent private tours with his family to Europe and the USA in recent years.

Reportedly, Cheema was said to be the official in charge of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal desk at the ministry and was also accused of sending a number of people abroad illegally in return for large amounts of money from them.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2016.