Former DG Parks remanded to NAB custody

Qaimkhani tells court to hang him if corruption proved

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad has handed over former director general of the parks and horticulture department of Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC), Liaquat Ali Khan Qaimkhani to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on physical remand in connection with illegal allotments of public parks.

The accused, who was arrested by NAB team in Karachi last week, was presented before an accountability judge in Islamabad on Monday.

During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor adopted the stance that the case was of illegal allotment of Bagh Ibn Qasim, while the accused claimed that he should be hanged if any instance of corruption was proven against him.

According to the statement released by NAB after his arrest, Qaimkhani was involved in setting up 71 ghost parks in Karachi over a period of twenty years. He also registered fake companies for carrying out 'repairs and maintenance' in the ghost parks, revealed NAB officials.

The luxury items recovered from the residence during the raid were worth billions, while jewelry items seized from the house were worth Rs150 million. The anti-graft body seized eight vehicles, arms, property files, jewellery and official records of the KMC from his custody.

According to the NAB prosecutor, the bureau was trying to determine the source of his wealth and also trace the money trail for which they needed physical remand.

The lawyer of the accused opposed physical remand, while the accused came to the rostrum, saying said that he was a diabetic with a restrictive diet and in need of regular insulin shots.

He also claimed innocence, saying he had not even signed any document that violated laws.

Approving the NAB’s request, the court granted the bureau 14-day physical remand of the accused.

Rental Power Projects

The name of Anwar Brohi, the former chief executive officer of the Lakhra Power Generation Company Limited (LPGCL), has been removed from the list of suspects in the Rental Power Project (RPP) case after he agreed to enter a plea bargain with the NAB, the investigation officer of the case told an accountability court on Monday.

As part of the deal, Brohi will return Rs8.5 million to the bureau, which has been approved by NAB chief Javed Iqbal.

Brohi was arrested in connection with the case in 2014, but was soon granted bail. The case also involves PPP leader and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, as well as other prominent personalities. The accused are believed to have illegally awarded a contract to a Turkish company for installation of a rental power project in Karachi.