Arms scandal case: Arshad Majeed’s accounts to be unfrozen

Contractor Majeed has agreed to pay Rs10.5 million more to NAB from accounts barred earlier.

PESHAWAR:

An accountability court on Wednesday ordered the main contractor involved in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) arms and ammunition scandal, Arshad Majeed, be granted access to his bank account after he agreed to pay remaining dues to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Majeed’s counsel Saeed Akbar Advocate informed Judge Ibrahim Khan his client has as yet paid Rs80.43 million voluntarily. Akbar showed the court an agreement by Majeed to pay Rs10.47 million to NAB from his account which was frozen by the court earlier.

The court has also recorded the arguments of NAB investigation officer Inyatullah Khan who reiterated Majeed agreed to pay the Rs10.47 million.

After hearing both sides, the judge ordered Majeed be given access to his account so he could pay the remaining amount.

NAB had earlier arrested Arshad Majeed and Javed Khan, a budget officer, for alleged misappropriation in an arms and ammunition procurement deal for the K-P police worth Rs7 billion in 2009.

Majeed later agreed to pay Rs102 million to NAB. While recording his statement before judicial magistrate Muhammad Ilyas Khan, Majeed claimed former K-P IGP Malik Naveed was also involved in the scam. The contractor also confessed to bribing former K-P chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti’s brother Ghazan Azam Khan with Rs195 million though a front man.

Azam later challenged Majeed’s statement in front of the Peshawar High Court and requested the issue be quashed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2013.