Hamesh Khan handed over to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
The US handed over former president of the Bank of Punjab (BoP), Hamesh Khan, to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday.
Khan is expected to arrive at the Lahore airport by Friday night. A two-member team, comprising of Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Raja Aamir Abbas, and Deputy Director NAB Punjab Rizwan Khan, was in the US to take custody of Khan. The US Justice Department issued the surrender orders of Khan on Thursday. Khan is wanted for his alleged role in a Rs9 billion loan scam and other charges of corruption. He had fled to the US after investigations were initiated against him to prove his involvement in the fraud.
Khan had managed to flee in June last year despite his name being on the Exit Control List. On Monday, NAB informed a three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), comprising of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday that Khan would be extradited to Pakistan from the United States on May 14. The Pakistani government has assured the US that Khan would be treated fairly and will not be mistreated. The SC had already directed the federal government to arrest the former president of the BoP.
Published in the Express Tribune, May 14th, 2010.
The US handed over former president of the Bank of Punjab (BoP), Hamesh Khan, to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday.
Khan is expected to arrive at the Lahore airport by Friday night. A two-member team, comprising of Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Raja Aamir Abbas, and Deputy Director NAB Punjab Rizwan Khan, was in the US to take custody of Khan. The US Justice Department issued the surrender orders of Khan on Thursday. Khan is wanted for his alleged role in a Rs9 billion loan scam and other charges of corruption. He had fled to the US after investigations were initiated against him to prove his involvement in the fraud.
Khan had managed to flee in June last year despite his name being on the Exit Control List. On Monday, NAB informed a three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), comprising of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday that Khan would be extradited to Pakistan from the United States on May 14. The Pakistani government has assured the US that Khan would be treated fairly and will not be mistreated. The SC had already directed the federal government to arrest the former president of the BoP.
Published in the Express Tribune, May 14th, 2010.