charge-sheet against the accused was presented in the court of Wilayat Ali Khan and as a bail application is yet to be filed, the court extended Naveed’s judicial remand for 14 days. PHOTO: APP/FILE
PESHAWAR:
An accountability court on Thursday extended the judicial remand of former IGP Malik Naveed by 14 days in the weapons and equipment purchase scam worth Rs7 billion.
The former top cop of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was produced in the accountability court after the expiry of his earlier 14-day remand granted on January 15.
The charge-sheet against the accused was presented in the court of Wilayat Ali Khan and as a bail application is yet to be filed, the court extended Naveed’s judicial remand for 14 days.
On January 15, after spending 56 days in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on physical remand, Naveed was sent to Central Prison Peshawar on a 14-day judicial remand.
NAB Special Prosecutor Lajbar Khan and Investigation Officer Inayat Khan had told the court in the previous hearing that the accused had offered to pay Rs80 million under the ‘voluntary return’ system and the offer was forwarded to the bureau’s central executive committee headed by its chairman in Islamabad.
Niaz Ali Shah, a former adviser to the K-P chief minister and Raza Ali Khan, the brother-in-law of former CM Amir Haider Hoti’s brother Ghazan Hoti, were arrested in the same case on January 8 but Niaz was released after he paid back Rs20 million. Raza is still in NAB’s custody and was produced before the court on January 21 and remanded for 14 days.
Several government officials are accused of embezzlement in the procurement of weapons and other equipment for the police during 2008 to 2010. Arshad Majeed, the main contractor, paid Rs102 million while budget officer Khalid Khan paid Rs42 million back to the government.
PHC restores Workers Welfare Board secretary
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has maintained the status quo of Workers Welfare Board (WWB) Secretary Faridullah Khan, whose appointment notification was earlier suspended by the same court, till February 18 and sought replies from the government.
A PHC division bench comprising Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk and Justice Irshad Qaiser on January 16 had restored secretary Muhammad Tariq Awan, who was removed by the government, and suspended Khan’s appointment notification.
On Thursday, a division bench comprising Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani was informed by Awan’s counsel Amir Javed that his client was appointed for three years in 2007 as the WWB secretary. He added his service was extended for three years in a board meeting on June 29, 2010. The board then convened a meeting on November 2, 2013 but the chairman of the board was not present so the meeting was postponed till November 13.
The board then held its 71st meeting on November 13 last year and agreed to extend Awan’s services for three more years with effect from December 1 but the chairman did not attend the meeting and declared its decision null and void.
Awan’s counsel informed the bench that when the board recommends something, the chairman is bound to accept the nominee and so his client should be restored on his previous position.
After hearing the arguments, the court ordered that the status quo be maintained till February 18, with Khan as the WWB secretary, and sought comments from the federal and provincial governments, including the chief secretary.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2014.
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