Raza Ali was arrested on January 6, 2014 by NAB authorities for being among those suspected of embezzling Rs2.03 billion in a Rs7 billion contract to procure weapons for the K-P police.STOCK IMAGE
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday ordered the release of Raza Ali Khan on bail provided he submits a surety bond of Rs50 million in a Rs2.03 billion embezzlement scam while procuring weapons for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) police.
The division bench of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan issued the order while hearing a contempt petition over National Accountability’s (NAB) failure to produce the suspect’s plea bargain, as ordered by the PHC, before an accountability court.
Umer Farooq Adam, counsel for Raza Ali, told the bench that the PHC ordered the NAB on January 13 to produce the approved plea bargain application for his client in an accountability court within a week. The PHC also ordered the accountability court to make a decision in the case within 10 days.
Adam said the accused, a relative of former K-P chief minister Amir Haider Hoti, had been in prison for the last year and his plea bargain of Rs195 million was approved by the chairman. He added the suspect has already paid half the money while his land has also been mortgaged.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Jamil then said there were certain objections over the mortgaged land. He asked for three more days to submit the application before the accountability court, saying the accused could be set free if authorities failed to do so.
Subsequently, the court ordered the release of the suspect on the condition that surety bonds of Rs50 million and two other personal sureties are submitted.
On Tuesday, the same bench issued contempt of court notices to the NAB chairman and the bureau’s K-P director general, seeking their written replies to explain failure to comply with court orders.
Raza Ali was arrested on January 6, 2014 by NAB authorities for being among those suspected of embezzling Rs2.03 billion in a Rs7 billion contract to procure weapons for the K-P police.
A few months ago, the suspect submitted an application to NAB, saying he was ready to pay Rs195 million under the plea bargain system.
Former IGP Malik Naveed and Amir Ghazan Hoti, brother of former CM Amir Haider Hoti, were also arrested in the case and remain in judicial custody.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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