Criminal actions: Accountability court extends remand of TMOs
The TMOs were accused of embezzling development funds worth Rs120 million
The TMOs were accused of embezzling development funds worth Rs120 million. STOCK IMAGE
KARACHI:
An accountability court extended on Thursday the remand of three serving and former town municipal officials of Sehwan and Sujawal districts, while releasing another official after he entered into a plea bargain on corruption charges.
Sehwan town municipal officer (TMO) Rehmatullah Memon, former TMO Zahoor Ahmed Shahani and another official, Idrees Memon were arrested on June 18 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on accusations of allegedly embezzling funds worth Rs120 million. According to NAB, the suspects misused the funds allocated for development schemes by issuing illegal cheques to contractors who never existed and deposited them in accounts opened with falsified documents.
A former Sujawal TMO, Mumtaz Ali Zardari, was also arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds amounting to Rs100 million. They were remanded by the court on the following day.
After the end of their physical remand, the NAB officials produced the suspects again before the administrative judge of the accountability courts and moved an application under Section 25, voluntary return and plea bargaining, of the NAB Ordinance 1999 for the release of Rehmatullah.
The judge, Saad Qureshi, approved the prosecution plea and extended the physical remand of the three suspects for two more weeks. He also ordered the release of Rehmatullah.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2015.
An accountability court extended on Thursday the remand of three serving and former town municipal officials of Sehwan and Sujawal districts, while releasing another official after he entered into a plea bargain on corruption charges.
Sehwan town municipal officer (TMO) Rehmatullah Memon, former TMO Zahoor Ahmed Shahani and another official, Idrees Memon were arrested on June 18 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on accusations of allegedly embezzling funds worth Rs120 million. According to NAB, the suspects misused the funds allocated for development schemes by issuing illegal cheques to contractors who never existed and deposited them in accounts opened with falsified documents.
A former Sujawal TMO, Mumtaz Ali Zardari, was also arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds amounting to Rs100 million. They were remanded by the court on the following day.
After the end of their physical remand, the NAB officials produced the suspects again before the administrative judge of the accountability courts and moved an application under Section 25, voluntary return and plea bargaining, of the NAB Ordinance 1999 for the release of Rehmatullah.
The judge, Saad Qureshi, approved the prosecution plea and extended the physical remand of the three suspects for two more weeks. He also ordered the release of Rehmatullah.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2015.