Sentence: NAB awards imprisonment to accused

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Haris Afzal under allegations of fraud, forgery and illegal sale of property situated in Dubai which was already surrendered to NAB by his father Sheikh Afzal’s case of Rs9 billion frauds. NAB has seized vehicles and properties situated in Dubai’s affluent Emirates Hill neighborhood along with other assets belonging to the accused Sheikh Afzal and others after they failed to return a loan obtained from the Bank of Punjab. While the convict, Haris Afzal, had sold them out illegally, was seized by the NAB on peanut rates. Later a reference was filed against him and arrested him in 2016. On Wednesday, a NAB prosecutor appeared before the court and informed that Haris Afzal had signalled willingness to return the amount of properties sold out by him. After which, the court concluded the trial and awarded him two and half years jail term along with compensation of RS540 million. NAB Punjab had filed a reference against 12 accused including six officials of Bank of Punjab and six other accused of Rs9 billion fraud.  

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2017.