NAB: PHC releases two contractors on bail after plea bargain

Sardar and Akbar were arrested for awarding illegal contracts

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court ordered the release of two contractors on bail on Tuesday after the National Accountability Bureau chairman agreed to plea bargains in cases related to illegal awards of contracts. A bench comprising Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Roohul Amin Khan granted bail to contractors Sardar Afridi and Khan Akbar Afridi arrested by NAB for their involvement in illegal contracts in Mardan Tehsil Municipal Administration.

The counsel for the petitioners informed the court NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had started an operation to apprehend white-collar criminals and had arrested Sardar and Akbar when they were found to be involved in an illegal practice. However, the court was informed both the accused jointly paid Rs33.2 million to NAB as part of a plea bargain. The payment was made after the bureau chairman approved their application.

After hearing the arguments, the court ordered the release of both the accused on bail in the corruption case.

A statement issued by NAB on February 3 said the accused were involved in illegally awarding contracts for the collection of two per cent immoveable property tax and had thus caused a huge loss to the government exchequer. It added the Mardan TMA awarded contracts in 2011-12 and 2012-13 to contractors on the basis of favouritism, an act in sheer violation of terms and conditions of the Local Council Board.

In a similar case, accountability court judge Muhammad Ibrahim Khan granted five days custody and handed over two accused to NAB. Shahi Nawab Khattak, district population welfare officer, and storekeeper Muhammad Munib were arrested on Monday for manipulating records of store items.

“It was found that they did not purchase the store items as per the requirement and entered fake items in the issue vouchers to the outlets,” Special Prosecutor Daniyal Chamkani told the court.  “The accused also affixed fake signatures of Service Delivery outlets in charge on some of the vouchers and caused a loss of Rs2.471 million to the government exchequer.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2015.