NAB arrests former KPT chief

The accused is contesting the upcoming elections for PS-95 on the MQM-P's ticket

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Karachi, arrested on Tuesday a former chairman of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) over corruption charges.

The accused, Muhammad Javed Hanif, who is also a Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan candidate for PS-95, Korangi, was arrested in a raid at his residence.



Later, an administrative judge of the accountability court sent Hanif to jail on judicial remand for a week. NAB's investigation officer presented the former KPT chief before the court, where he sought a week-long remand of the accused.

Hanif's lawyer, however, argued that the investigation had been completed and a reference sent to the bureau's chairperson, so there was no need to send his client on remand. He added that the arrest was part of a political game as his client was contesting the elections from PS-95 on the MQM-P's ticket.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court sent on judicial remand till July 16.

Charges

According to the NAB Karachi spokesperson, the accused was wanted in an investigation against KPT officers for corrupt practices and for abusing their authority to illegally appoint 940 employees in the KPT, in connivance with Babar Ghauri, the then minister for ports and shipping.

The spokesperson said the appointments were made in disregard and violation of the KPT's laws, rules, regulations, and violation of its hiring formalities including advertisements, competitive process, criteria of age and quota.

He added that a large number of the appointees had criminal record, including their involvement in cases of terrorism, premeditated murder and robbery. Several FIRs against the appointed persons are registered in different police stations in the city, he said.

The illegal appointments resulted in losses incurred by the national exchequer to the tune of Rs2.8 billion, he added.



Not politically motivated

Hours after the arrest, NAB officials held a press conference in Karachi to deny allegations that Hanif's arrest was politically motivated. They reasoned that the criminal case against Hanif was initiated in November 2015, whereas he joined the MQM-P in October 2017.

The NAB officials said that cognisance of the case was taken on an official complaint registered with the bureau by the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and that NAB did not take any suo motu cognizance in this regard. Several inquiry committees have also conducted departmental inquiries and declared the KPT appointments under question illegal.

MQM-P cries foul

Earlier, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan had condemned Hanif's arrest, with the party's convener alleging, "Hanif's fault was that he signed for the appointments of the youth of Karachi." Siddiqui added that no action had so far been taken against the Pakistan Peoples Party that had destroyed several organisations and institutions by selling jobs over the last ten years.



Director arrested

NAB Karachi also claimed on Tuesday to have arrested another accused, Muhammad Saparas, who was wanted in the investigation against Babar Ghauri and other KPT officers, from Islamabad.

Saparas was working in the Ministry of Ports and Shipping as Gawadar Director with additional duties of communicating the minister's directives to subordinate offices. According to NAB Karachi spokesperson, the suspect had conveyed illegal orders of the minister and issued documents that enabled the illegal appointments.