Cheema’s remand extended in NAB custody

Anti-graft watchdog needed his custody for further investigations into this matter

LAHORE: Former director general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Khan Cheema and proprietor Bismillah Engineering Company, both arrested in Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scheme scam, were handed over to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on physical remand for seven more days.

With these seven days, duration of Cheema’s custody in NAB will reach 88 days.

Cheema along with three other accomplices accused was presented before an accountability court on Friday. NAB pleaded that during investigations in Ashiana Housing Scheme scam, they had found that accused Ahad Khan had misused his authority and committed fraud in return of accepting 30 kanals of land as a bribe.

During further investigations, NAB found that he had made assets beyond his legal means. NAB needed his custody for further investigations into this matter, prosecutor’s counsel pleaded. They also asked seven days custody of Shahid Shafique saying that he had vital information about the case and needed his physical custody for investigations.



The court handed over both the accused persons for investigations to NAB, while two other accused persons Imtiaz Haider and Bilal Qudwai were sent on judicial remand.

Six accused had been arrested by NAB for corruption in the case. Two of the six accused identified as Israr Saeed and Arif Majeed has been sent to jail on judicial remand since when a NAB prosecutor told the court that they had confessed of their crime and had promised to become approvers in the case.

Ashiana-e-Iqbal was started under public-private partnership. The project has not yet been initiated due to alleged corruption of the accused.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2018.