Corruption charges: Court extends CDA official’s bail

Trial court extends bail for Electrical Mechanical Development Director Irfan till Feb 13 after counsel seeks time.

ISLAMABAD:

A trial court on Monday extended bail for a CDA official accused of corruption till February 13.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Wajid Ali, extended the bail plea of Electrical Mechanical Development Director Muhammad Irfan till February 13 after his counsel sought time for arguments.

Irfan has been charged with receiving monetary benefits from a private contractor — Zeenat Brothers — for clearing the dues for construction work at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in violation of a Lahore High Court order.

Irfan is currently in charge of a number of different projects, the most prominent of which  including the construction of new parliament lodges, Federal Ombudsman’s office building, and extension of the Supreme Court building.

On June 25, 2010, the accused was convicted of fraud, criminal breach of trust and disobeying the law, and awarded imprisonment ranging from five to 10 years against each offence by the special court of the Federal Investigation Agency.

He appealed the ruling and filed a bail application, which was accepted by a higher court.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2014.