PESHAWAR: Malik Riaz, the controversial billionaire, failed to get approval for the extension of his transitory bail in a corruption case involving fraudulent purchase of 1,400 kanal for Bahria Town, here on Thursday.
Riaz, who reached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) amid fanfare in a convoy of eight cars, had to resort to filing another application for hearing the case after PHC Judge Mazhar Alam left the bench before counsel for the defendant could request extension in transitory bail.
Riaz had been granted bail against an FIR registered by the Anti Corruption Establishment, Rawalpindi on November 4, 2011. According to the contents of the FIR available with The Express Tribune, the real estate magnate has been charged under sections 5, 2 and 47 of The Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and sections 471, 420 and 468 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for fraudulently purchasing 1,401 kanal of land in Malik Pur Azizaal area of Tehsil Rawalpindi.
However the petition available with The Express Tribune and filed by Riaz’s counsel PHC Bar Association president Abdul Latif Afridi, states that the petitioner was nominated in the FIR after two years of its registration due to mala fide intent.
After filing of the petition, Riaz did not speak to the media at the PHC premises saying that “in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, I am not supposed to speak to the media.”
However, counsel for the petitioner revealed that they had waited for the judge and as a result of his absence the extension in bail could not be approved.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2012.
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