Bail applications of 15 accused, including govt employees, private builders, dismissed

Those involved in fraud and corruption should not be forgiven, observes SHC CJ

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed on Thursday bail applications filed by government employees, private builders and others nominated in a corruption reference relating to alleged illegal allotments of land in the name of a fake housing society.

"Those involved in corruption and fraud cannot be forgiven," observed SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh who was heading a two-judge bench hearing the matter. The bench dismissed the bail applications, ordering the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to arrest the accused persons.

Muhammad Riaz Ilyas, Muhammad Arif, Syed Amir Ali Shah, Muhammad Farooq, Afzal Khan, Faisal Waseem, Shahbaz Ahmed, Fahad Ahmed, Muhammad Iqbal, Farooq Shahid, Muhammad Hamid, Mirza Afzal Baig, Muhammad Ibrahim and Sajid Ali had approached the high court when interim bails granted earlier to them were cancelled.



They had sought pre-arrest bail from the SHC to avoid arrest by NAB in connection with the inquiry into the sale of land after its alleged illegal allotment to a fake housing society.

The lawyers representing 15 petitioners, who included private builders and government officials, denied the allegations of NAB, claiming their clients had no role in the fraud.

According to the federal anti-graft watchdog, the private builders and others were allotted 306 plots in the name of Pak Punjab Cooperative Housing Society in Karachi. However, instead of launching the housing society, they sold the plots, NAB claimed.



The accountability bureau alleged that the accused persons committed the fraud in collusion with officers in the relevant government department, causing losses to the national coffers through fraud and corrupt practices. The NAB prosecutor informed the judges that the bureau had filed a reference with the relevant accountability court against 20 persons.

The federal anti-graft watchdog pleaded to the court to dismiss the bail applications as ample evidence was available to prove commission of fraud and corruption on their part.

After hearing arguments from both the sides, the SHC CJ observed that those involved in fraud and corruption should not be forgiven. Dismissing their bail applications, the bench ordered the NAB officials to arrest them. The SHC further directed the NAB authorities to complete the trial against them as soon as possible.