Fawad remanded in NAB custody again

Graft buster informs trial court of former minister divulging details

ISLAMABAD:

An accountability court has remanded former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for an additional six days in connection with a case involving alleged irregularities in the Jhelum-Pind Dadan Khan dual carriageway project.

On Saturday, NAB Prosecutor Irfan Bhola informed Judge Muhammad Bashir of Islamabad Accountability Court-1 that the former PTI leader was under interrogation and was divulging details related to alleged irregularities.

Bhola mentioned that the contractor of the project had also been summoned by NAB on January 2, and he requested the court to extend the remand period. He noted that during the last hearing, NAB had sought a 14-day remand, but the court had granted remand for only 10 days.

Subsequently, the judge extended Fawad’s remand by six days, adjourning the court till January 5. On December 20, NAB had presented Fawad Chaudhry in the court.

Read Fawad Chaudhry again booked for ‘corruption’

The NAB prosecutor informed the court that an inquiry into the case began on November 10, 2023, but Fawad had declined to cooperate with the graft busters.

He alleged that, as a federal minister, Fawad had misused his influence to prepare the PC-1 of the project. The prosecutor also accused Fawad of receiving kickback from the contractor of the project.