Weapons scam: Amir Ghazan’s pre-arrest bail extended till April 15
Verdict on former IGP, Raza Ali Khan’s bail petitions to be announced the same day.
Verdict on former IGP, Raza Ali Khan’s bail petitions to be announced the same day. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday extended the pre-arrest bail of Amir Ghazan till April 15 in the multi-billion rupee weapons procurement case and ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to provide the necessary record of charges to the accused.
Ghazan is the brother of former chief minister (CM) and Awami National Party leader Amir Haider Hoti.
NAB has filed a reference against 10 accused, including Ghazan and former IGP Malik Naveed, stating that in the Rs7 billion contract for purchasing weapons and other equipment for the provincial police department in 2008-2010, Rs2.03 billion was misappropriated.
The division bench of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Ikramullah Khan also set April 15 as the date to announce the verdict on bail applications of Naveed and a distant relative of the former CM, Raza Ali Khan.
Ghazan’s counsel Qazi Jawad Ihsanullah informed the bench that the court had asked about NAB’s record at the previous hearing but it is yet to be submitted, adding they asked the accountability court hearing the weapons procurement case for the record but that too was not provided.
NAB prosecutor Azim Dad Khan informed the court they had prepared a reference against the accused, which had been submitted in the accountability court, adding if proper procedure is followed the record would be provided to the accused.
The bench then ordered NAB to provide all relevant records to the accused and said the verdict on the bail application of Naveed and Raza, along with Ghazan’s, will be announced on April 15 and there will be no further adjournment in the case.
Meanwhile, accountability court judge Muhammad Ibrahim Khan adjourned the hearing of the weapons case till April 24 as bail applications of the accused are pending before the high court. There will be no proceedings in the case till a decision comes from PHC.
NAB investigation officer Inayatullah Khan produced the accused, including the former IGP, Raza, Ghazan and police department budget officer Javed Khan, in the accountability court amid tight security.
The court was informed that Ghazan has recorded his statement with NAB but his pre-arrest bail application is still pending before PHC. The NAB official informed the court that the names of the accused are properly mentioned in the reference of corruption and the bureau believes that kickbacks were awarded to them.
The court directed that no proceedings could take place until bail applications of the three accused are decided by PHC. The hearing of the case was then adjourned till April 24.
It also granted NAB a 10-day remand of Zahid Iqbal, a broker who allegedly took Rs10 million from contractor Arshad Majeed on the pretext to close the inquiry of the weapons case.
Rs400 million embezzlement case
The same accountability court granted NAB a 10-day remand of the Provincial Housing Authority’s (PHA) former director general Javed Ahmad, land acquisition collector Naveed Qadir and the alleged front man Muhammad Asif for their alleged involvement in embezzling more than Rs400 million.
The three accused allegedly pocketed over Rs400 million on the pretext of land acquisition for a PHA housing scheme in Moza Darwaza, Nathiagali, in 2012. PHA initiated the scheme without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the forest department and the Galiyat Development Authority and without preparing a feasibility report, which is a prerequisite.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2014.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday extended the pre-arrest bail of Amir Ghazan till April 15 in the multi-billion rupee weapons procurement case and ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to provide the necessary record of charges to the accused.
Ghazan is the brother of former chief minister (CM) and Awami National Party leader Amir Haider Hoti.
NAB has filed a reference against 10 accused, including Ghazan and former IGP Malik Naveed, stating that in the Rs7 billion contract for purchasing weapons and other equipment for the provincial police department in 2008-2010, Rs2.03 billion was misappropriated.
The division bench of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Ikramullah Khan also set April 15 as the date to announce the verdict on bail applications of Naveed and a distant relative of the former CM, Raza Ali Khan.
Ghazan’s counsel Qazi Jawad Ihsanullah informed the bench that the court had asked about NAB’s record at the previous hearing but it is yet to be submitted, adding they asked the accountability court hearing the weapons procurement case for the record but that too was not provided.
NAB prosecutor Azim Dad Khan informed the court they had prepared a reference against the accused, which had been submitted in the accountability court, adding if proper procedure is followed the record would be provided to the accused.
The bench then ordered NAB to provide all relevant records to the accused and said the verdict on the bail application of Naveed and Raza, along with Ghazan’s, will be announced on April 15 and there will be no further adjournment in the case.
Meanwhile, accountability court judge Muhammad Ibrahim Khan adjourned the hearing of the weapons case till April 24 as bail applications of the accused are pending before the high court. There will be no proceedings in the case till a decision comes from PHC.
NAB investigation officer Inayatullah Khan produced the accused, including the former IGP, Raza, Ghazan and police department budget officer Javed Khan, in the accountability court amid tight security.
The court was informed that Ghazan has recorded his statement with NAB but his pre-arrest bail application is still pending before PHC. The NAB official informed the court that the names of the accused are properly mentioned in the reference of corruption and the bureau believes that kickbacks were awarded to them.
The court directed that no proceedings could take place until bail applications of the three accused are decided by PHC. The hearing of the case was then adjourned till April 24.
It also granted NAB a 10-day remand of Zahid Iqbal, a broker who allegedly took Rs10 million from contractor Arshad Majeed on the pretext to close the inquiry of the weapons case.
Rs400 million embezzlement case
The same accountability court granted NAB a 10-day remand of the Provincial Housing Authority’s (PHA) former director general Javed Ahmad, land acquisition collector Naveed Qadir and the alleged front man Muhammad Asif for their alleged involvement in embezzling more than Rs400 million.
The three accused allegedly pocketed over Rs400 million on the pretext of land acquisition for a PHA housing scheme in Moza Darwaza, Nathiagali, in 2012. PHA initiated the scheme without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the forest department and the Galiyat Development Authority and without preparing a feasibility report, which is a prerequisite.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2014.