Weapons scam: NAB gets 10-day remand of Ghazan Hoti

Accountability judge says custody necessary for investigation.

PESHAWAR: A day after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested former chief minister Amir Haider Hoti’s brother Ghazan Hoti in the weapons procurement case, the bureau obtained his 10-day physical remand for investigation.

Ghazan was produced to before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Ibrahim Khan on Wednesday amid tight security. A large number of his supporters were present in court. The accused’s brother, a former CM, is a serving MNA of the Awami National Party.

The judge told the accused the weapons scam case was a high-profile one as it involved embezzlement worth billions and NAB has its set procedure for such investigations, adding physical remand is necessary for the investigation to be completed.

The judge also asked the accused whether he wanted to comment on his remand, to which Ghazan said his counsel had informed the court of everything regarding his current and previous status and role in the case.

Ghazan was arrested by officials of NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) dismissed an extension of his pre-arrest bail on Tuesday in the Rs7 billion procurement of weapons and other equipment case.

Ghazan is charged for taking Rs195 million from contractor Arshad Majeed as kickbacks but he denies all charges, saying he had no role in the procurement of weapons for the provincial police in 2008-10.

Others accused in the case, former IGP Malik Naveed, Ghazan’s brother-in-law Raza Ali Khan and police department’s budget officer Javed Khan will appear on April 24 for trial.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2014.