NAB told to oversee Fazaia Housing scam refunds

SHC nullifies earlier order appointing official assignee for the purpose

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court nullified on Friday a single bench order pertaining to the appointment of an official assignee for refunding money to persons defrauded in the name of Fazaia Housing Scheme. Instead, it directed that the victims were to receive reimbursements through the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

At the hearing, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Omar Sial and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, directed the NAB chairperson to monitor the refunds, besides issuing notices to the parties with regard to the new court orders.

Earlier, a single SHC bench had ordered the appointment of an official assignee for returning money to citizens defrauded in the name of the housing scheme, while a two-member bench had granted bails to accused Tanveer Ahmed and Bilal Tanveer in the case, ordering them to refund citizens allotted houses under the guise of the residential scheme within two months.

The court had also ordered the inclusion of the accused's name in the Exit Control List, instructing that the names were not to be removed from the list until they were given a clearance certificate by the NAB.

Wheat theft

At another hearing, the court restricted the NAB from arresting trader Sunil Kumar, who is facing inquiry in a wheat theft case.

The counsel for the accused argued that NAB officials had raided Kumar's house despite his cooperation with them in the inquiry. Informing the court that his client used to trade wheat from Chand Flour Mills in Ghotki, he denounced the NAB for "harassing traders instead of taking action against mill owners."

At this, the court restricted the anti-graft watchdog from arresting Kumar and issued a notice to the NAB prosecutor, seeking his reply on the matter on July 24. Additionally, it instructed Kumar to continue to cooperate with NAB officials in the inquiry.

Intezar murder case

Meanwhile, a two-member bench comprising Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Abdul Mubeen Lakho sought arguments from the accused's lawyer on the bail pleas of Tariq Raheem and Tariq Mehmood in the Intezar murder case.

Directing the counsel to present arguments at the next hearing on July 6, the court adjourned the hearing as the petitioner's counsel failed to appear in court.

The accused were earlier denied bail multiple times by the SHC, an anti-terrorism court and the Supreme Court. A petition seeking the replacement of the investigation officer has also been filed in the high court.

As many as eight Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell officials have been arrested on the charges of gunning down a citizen, Intezar, in January, 2018. One among them has been granted bail.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2020.