Illegal allotment of plots case: AC seeks final arguments in response to Mandviwalla’s plea

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court, on Monday, sought final arguments over Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Saleem Mandviwalla’s application seeking acquittal in the illegal allotment of plots of the Overseas Cooperative Housing Society Limited (OCHSL) (Kidney Hill) case against him and others under the National Accountability (second amendment) Ordinance, 2021.

Accountability Court-I judge Muhammad Bashir, while hearing the case, sought final arguments of defence over the acquittal application till the next hearing to be held on December 15. Mandviwalla and other accused appeared before the court and the court allowed them to go after marking their attendance.

Mandviwalla through his counsel had filed an application before judge Muhammad Bashir under Section 4(2), (A), (C), and 4 (3) of National Accountability (second amendment) Ordinance, 2021. During the hearing, Mandviwalla’s counsel said that following the promulgation of the National Accountability second and third amendment ordinance, the jurisdictions of the Accountability Court and the NAB has ended.

After issuance of new ordinance, the matter related to private transaction did not come under the ambit of the NAB, he said. The NAB prosecutor, while objecting to Mandviwalla’s plea, requested the court to reject the application and start proceedings of the case.

Mandviwalla, while talking to media after appearing before the court in the illegal allotment of plots of the OCHSL (Kidney Hill) case, said that the government has also realised the role of the NAB in the destruction of Pakistan’s economy and was now issuing ordinances one after and another.

“Even then the government is confused that how many ordinances will be issued to put the NAB on the right track,” he said.

He said that the NAB has claimed that it has recovered Rs821 billion since its inception but according to the Ministry of Finance, the actual amount the NAB has deposited in the federal consolidated fund is just Rs6.5 billion.

Following thorough investigation, the fact of Rs821 billion would be revealed before the nation, he said, adding that the NAB chairman then will be charge sheeted and FIR will be registered against him. The PPP leader said that the accountability of the NAB will be started soon.

“NAB is government within government,” he said, adding that the NAB was not following any government rules and considered itself above the constitution and the parliament.

To a question that the government has started consultation for appointment of new chairman and present chairman started farewell visits, he said that according to him the farewell of the present NAB chairman had started the day when his term ended. He said that the NAB has closed inquires against the people affiliated with the ruling party and only pursuing cases against opposition leaders.

The NAB had filed a reference against Mandviwalla and others in an illegal land allotments case on January 13 this year. The other accused includes Nadeem Hakeem Mandviwala, Muhammad Ajaz Haroon, former secretary Overseas Cooperative Housing Society, Karachi, and former chairman Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Abdul Qadir Shiwani private person, Triq Mehmood private person, Abdul Qayyum private person, and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021