Accountability Court on Tuesday extended for further 14-day physical remand of six accused including former Director General of Lahore Development Authority Ahad Khan Cheema in Aashiyana-i-Iqbal Housing Scam.
NAB officials produced the suspects including former LDA DG Ahad Khan Cheema, Bismillah Engineering Company's owner Shahid Shafiq, LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed, Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) Chief Engineer Colonel Arif Majeed (retd), former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PLDC Imtiaz Haider and another PLDC official Bilal Qidwai.
Police officials stopped media persons from coverage of the Aashiyana-i-Iqbal housing scam case by closing down the courtroom and behaved rudely with the reporters. Police officials, who failed to produce any written order from the court authorities, kept insisting that they had been ordered by the judge to stop media persons from coverage. However, with the interference of the lawyers, the reporters were allowed to enter into the courtroom.
The counsel of the accused told the court that the contract was passed in accordance with the law while the government did not issue a single rupee for the contract. The counsel said that when there was not even a single rupee then how it could be said that huge amount was embezzled. He questioned that arrest of Ahad Khan Cheema and others made by NAB officials was unlawful as no prior inquiry was held into the matter.
NAB's lawyer Waris Janjua opposed their arguments and said that important development took place during investigation of the accused persons including Cheema. He pleaded the court to extend for more fifteen days physical remand of the accused and court extended their physical remand till April 03.
Cheema was arrested last month for misusing his authority and, with criminal intent, processing and awarding Aashiyana-i-Iqbal project contract worth Rs 14 billion to Lahore CASA Developers, a joint venture firm which was ineligible for the same. The contract, in connivance with other accused persons, was awarded in violation of PPP Act, 2014.
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