SC suspends LHC decision to acquit ex-Brigadier

Apex court accepts NAB’s appeal against accused’s exoneration

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has suspended Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to acquit Brigadier (retd) Hamid Mahmood, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and accepted National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeal against his exoneration.

A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin heard the national graft buster’s appeal against Mahmood’s acquittal.

Prosecutor Naeem Tariq Sanghera, who appeared before the court on behalf of NAB, adopted the stance that an agreement had been reached in 2004 with a company in Singapore to import 40,000 tonnes of coal for $2.4 million for Nizampur Cement Plant which was managed by the Army Welfare Trust. He said Mahmood had shown himself as an agent of the company.

Also read: 1,405 accused persons convicted so far: NAB chief

The prosecutor said that though $2.4 million were transferred for the purpose but the coal was not imported. He said more than $115,000 was credited to the account of Mahmood the next day of payment.

The high court without considering this important evidence acquitted the accused, the NAB prosecutor said, adding that Mahmood had also filed an application for plea bargain.

The top court accepted NAB’s appeal for hearing and suspended LHC decision to acquit Mahmood while issuing him a notice. 

In 2014, NAB Rawalpindi court had sentence Mahmood to prison, which was declared null and void by the LHC in 2017. During this period, the accused had spent eight months in incarceration.

The LHC had granted bail to Mahmood after the accused deposited money during the trial.