Hajj scam: Graft-tainted former minister granted bail

Kazmi was arrested last year for allegedly defrauding Hajj pilgrims.

RAWALPINDI:

A local court granted bail on Monday to Hamid Saeed Kazmi, a former minister for religious affairs, who was arrested in March last year for his alleged role in a Hajj corruption scam.

Special Judge Customs Muhammad Ahmed Farooqi accepted the bail application of Kazmi, who is accused of arranging substandard accommodation for Pakistani pilgrims at exorbitant rates during the 2009 Hajj.

The court ordered that Kazmi be immediately released against a surety of Rs100,000. Kazmi had submitted his bail application on Aug 10, 2012.

Advocate Sardar Naseer Ahmed, the attorney for Kazmi, told the court that since his client had been in jail for over a year, he could be granted bail as his case was not likely to be decided in the near future.

Of the 12 prosecution witnesses who have recorded their statements thus far, no-one accused his client of any wrongdoing or ascribed any role to him in the Hajj corruption scam, according to Ahmed.

The attorney said that in the charge-sheet submitted by Khalid Rasool, the deputy director of FIA’s Special Investigation Unit, on May 6, 2012, no evidence was furnished against Kazmi.

Opposing the bail application, FIA’s Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ahmed argued that the Supreme Court, which had taken suo motu notice of the Hajj corruption scandal, denied Kazmi bail as he was responsible for all Hajj affairs.

Kazmi’s counsel pointed to the delay in the trial, saying that his client was formally indicted on May 30 this year, while the prosecution was not done recording witnesses’ statements.

The court also reserved ruling on an application moved by Shakeel, seeking reopening of his bank accounts frozen by the FIA following his arrest.

The prosecutor informed the court that the accounts could not be reopened as the money was transferred from Saudi Arabia, where he served as director general Hajj for Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2012.