Weapons scam: Former top cop sent to Central Jail Peshawar on judicial remand

Ex-IGP Naveed has spent 56 days in NAB’s custody prior to the current order of incarceration.

PESHAWAR:

After spending 56 days in the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, former IGP Malik Naveed was sent to Central Jail Peshawar on a 14-day judicial remand in the Rs7 billion weapons scam case. Naveed is accused of embezzling Rs360 million.

Naveed was presented at the accountability court under tight security on Wednesday to get an additional 14 days of physical remand in the prosecution’s custody, however, the plea was turned down by the court.



NAB Special Prosecutor Lajbar Khan and Investigation Officer Inayat Khan told the court the accused has offered to pay Rs80 million under the ‘voluntarily return’ system. The offer has been forwarded to the NAB central executive committee in the Islamabad head office, said Lajbar.

The prosecutor added the committee’s chairman has the authority to reject or accept the offer and the whole decision-making process will take time. He said a payment plan and a guarantor will be decided, which, according to Lajbar, will require additional time.

Pay back

The court was told a new development has surfaced as another accused Naiz Ali Shah, previously a special adviser to the former chief minister Amir Haider Hoti, had voluntarily paid NAB Rs20 million. Shah was released after this, indicating he was also involved in the embezzlement scheme, hereby proving the corruption reference was correct, added Lajbar.

Defence counsel Abdul Latif Afridi told the court Malik Naveed had already submitted the application for a settlement under which he is ready to offer Rs80 million. His remand does not need to be extended, especially as he suffers from depression, argued the defence counsel.

Accountability court Judge Wilayat Ali Gandapur rejected the prosecution’s plea to hand over the accused in its custody and instead sent him to Central Jail Peshawar on a 14-day judicial remand.

Except the lawyers of both sides and officials of NAB, no one, including media and his family members, was allowed inside the courtroom during the proceedings.

On January 10, the accountability court handed over the former IGP into NAB’s custody for five days, however, he ended up spending a total of 56 days in their custody.

Naiz Ali Shah and Raza Ali Khan, brother-in-law of Haider Hoti’s brother Ghazan Hoti, was also arrested in the same case on January 8 but Shah was released after he paid Rs20 million. Raza Ali is still in the custody of NAB and will be produced before the court on January 21.

These officials are accused of embezzlement in the procurement of weapons and other equipment worth Rs7 billion between 2008-10. The main contractor Arshad Majeed paid back Rs102 million while budget officer Khalid Khan paid Rs42 million in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2014.