PHOTO: PHC WEBSITE
The Peshawar High Court approved bail applications of three Ehtesab Commission detainees on Wednesday.
A division bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Roohul Amin Khan granted bail against surety bonds worth Rs5 million each and two personal bonds.
The commission had arrested child protection officer Dr Murad Ali Afridi, deputy chief Ijaz Muhammad Khan and contractor Hashim Khilji on June 8 for misusing authority and opening parallel accounts.
According to EC Prosecutor Zahid Aman, Khilji was awarded a contract for hiring vehicles worth millions of rupees from K-P social welfare department. However, the contract did not follow legal procedure. “Moreover, different accounts were opened in a private bank and the officials embezzled over Rs500 million.”
Sardar Ali Raza, counsel for Khilji, told the court the contract of hiring cars was obtained after an advertisement was published in the newspapers. “My client’s firm submitted the lowest bid,” he said.
Meanwhile Murad Afridi’s counsel Arshad Ali said, “Three separate accounts were maintained because there were three separate programmes. After every three months, reconciliatory reports were presented and there was no embezzlement whatsoever.”
He also informed the bench that the court had granted bail to every suspect arrested by the commission. “The suspects were in custody for about 35 days after which they were sent on judicial remand,” he said.
After hearing the arguments, the court granted bail to the accused against the aforementioned bonds.
Restrained
Similarly, the same bench also restrained the commission from taking any action against the father of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA Gul Sahib Khan, former Kohat chief municipal officer Noor Daraz Khattak, who is accused of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.
Counsel for Khattak, Aminur Rehman Yousafzai told the court his client was arrested by EC in a land and alleged illegal appointments scam.
“An enquiry against him was closed on April 4, 2008 and the accountability court had discharged him from all liabilities but the National Accountability Bureau started an enquiry again in 2014 which is still under way,” he said. Yousafzai claimed the EC is adamant on re-arresting Khattak in the instant case, violating Section 35(3) of the KPEC Act 2014.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2015.
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