Holding accountable: NAB arrests five after bail dismissal

Five were accused of making illegal payments and causing loss to the national exchequer

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested five accused men, identified as Ali Dino Gahoti, an executive district officer of revenue department, Aslam Lund, district officer of revenue department, Gulshair Ahmad Solangi, a deputy district officer of revenue department, District Ghotki, along with Kashif Ayaz Rana and Asif Ayaz Rana, who are beneficiaries and officials of the revenue department, after dismissal of their pre-arrest bail by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In this case, the five were accused of settlement of land for Raine Canal Project, illegally restoring old land grants, revising defaulted grants into allotments, making illegal payments and causing loss to the national exchequer to the tune of Rs493.654 million, says a press release of NAB.

The special prosecutor of NAB argued about the distinct roles played by each of the accused and referred the documents that fully connected them with the commissions of the offences and requested the court to consider that the accused are not entitled for the extraordinary concession of pre-arrest bail. The Supreme Court agreed with the arguments given by the NAB prosecutor and dismissed the pre-arrest bail petitions.

The accused will be presented before the respective accountability court in Sukkur accordingly.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2017.