SECP chairman granted pre-arrest bail in record tampering case

ISLAMABAD: The Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) chairman Zafar Hijazi has been granted five-day bail by the lower court in Panamagate record tampering case.

SECP chairman Hijazi’s pre-arrest bail has been approved by the Special Judge Central Tahir Mehmood against two surety bonds worth Rs250,000 each.

On July 13, Hijazi sought a transit bail approved by IHC bench on the basis of medical grounds citing that the jail environment was not conducive to his health, as he was on medication after a kidney transplant.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had filed the case against the chairman for tampering with official records under the orders of Supreme Court special implementation bench.

The FIA found Hijazi guilty for changing official records of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, owned by the Sharif family, to help their case.

The criminal case has been registered against Hijazi under sections 466 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Section 466 lists a seven-year imprisonment and fine for forging a legal document, while section 471 punishes in the same manner for using a forged document as genuine.