Local government secretary granted protective bail

SHC rejects bail plea of former transport secretary

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) granted on Friday protective bail to Local Government Secretary Muhammad Ramazan Awan against a surety of Rs500,000.

The secretary approached the SHC after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had taken notice of alleged corruption in the local government department. His lawyer argued that the federal anti-graft watchdog had been harassing his client without any justification.

The court was informed that NAB had accused Awan of keeping benami accounts. The lawyer pleaded that his client be given protective bail as he feared that NAB might arrest him.

The SHC approved protective bail to Awan against Rs500,000 till June 18.



 Illegal allotment case

The SHC also approved bails of four officers allegedly involved in the illegal allotment of 77 acres of government land.

Approving their bail pleas, the SHC directed the accused to submit surety bonds of Rs2.5 million each. The accused included former district revenue officers Bachaeo Chandio, Ali Akbar Hangoro and Shaukat Hussain, and former Bin Qasim Town Revenue DDO Sabir Hussain.

NAB had accused them of allotting 77 acres of government land to fake persons. According to the federal anti-graft watchdog, illegal housing societies were constructed on that land, which caused loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer. A case against the suspects is being heard at an accountability court.



 Bail rejected

Meanwhile, the SHC rejected the bail plea of former transport secretary Iqbal Bablani in a case relating to corruption of millions of rupees in the transport department.

NAB had charged Bablani with embezzlement of funds in the purchase of government vehicles. A reference against him was filed in 2016 after which he was arrested.

The SHC remarked that the accused should not be granted bail as there was strong evidence of corruption against him.