SC to hear NAB plea against ex-CDA officer

The Supreme Court approved to hear review petition filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the acquittal of former estate officer of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by Justice Mushir Alam would hear the petition against former CDA Estate Officer Iftikhar Ali Haideri.

NAB’s lawyer asserted that the former official accepted a bribe of Rs8.5 million for declaring an additional floor of a shopping mall as legal. He added that the suspect was caught red-handed while taking prize bonds from an agent of the mall’s owners.

The counsel iterated that an accountability court awarded 18 months sentence to the ex-officer along with heavy penalty however the Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted him.

The suspect also appeared in the court and pleaded that he wanted to show some documents to prove NAB's charges wrong. At this, Justice Alam directed the former estate officer to submit all related documents and issued his bailable warrants.

The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2020.