An anti-corruption court on Thursday acquitted Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan in a fake degree case. The Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) in 2012 had lodged a FIR against Sarwar Khan and others under sections 420, 468, 471, 218, 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code and under section 5(2) 47 Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 over charges of corruption and having fake diploma from Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE).
Other suspects of the case were former chairman of the board, its secretary and two officials charged with the allegation of issuing the duplicate diploma unlawfully. In his defence, Sarwar Khan had taken a plea that the case against him was nothing but a political victimization.
The ACE in its previous report had declared the minister guilty and stated that his indictment had been delaying due to his non-appearance. The minister had also got a stay from the Lahore High Court against the trial court's proceedings. In its report submitted before the LHC on March 01 last, the ACE had stated that the diploma possessed by the minister had been found genuine. It said during a thorough inquiry the allegations against the minister of having obtained a fake diploma had been found baseless and requested the court to discharge proceedings against the minister.
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