Karkey case: AC rejects NAB's request for further remand of accused

The Accountability Court hearing the Rental Power Plants (RPPs) contract case Monday rejected the National Accountability Bureau's request for further physical remand of accused Laeeq Ahmed Sheikh, a director of a foreign firm, and sent him to jail on judicial remand.
The NAB officials produced Sheikh, director of Cannock Global Enterprise Limited, before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik on expiry of his physical remand in a case regarding corruption and corrupt practices and misuse of authority in the award of RPP contract to M/s Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretim.
Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi told the court that the accused has stated before that court that he had taken $365000 from Raja Babar Zulqarnain as loan. The accused has misstated before the court because he had not taken loan from Zulqarnain.
He said that according to Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) documents, the accused owns properties worth millions of rupees and has also paid taxes. During the previous hearing, the NAB prosecutor told the court that NAB investigators questioned the accused where $365,000 had been spent. The accused told the NAB investigators that he had spent $100,000 on medical treatment and spent $200,000 on other things, he said, adding that the accused did not provide any documentary evidence of the said expenses.
Khawaja Haris, defence counsel, told the court that NAB has produced fake documents before the court. On this Abbasi told the court that the documents he produced are verified by FBR. "Now they stated that the accused purchased property from the said amount and documents are lying in his home," Abbasi said, adding that now he is presenting another thing; therefore, the court should approve extension in physical remand.
He said if physical remand of the accused is not extended, the inquiry into multibillion rupees corruption case would not proceed further. Haris while objecting to NAB's arguments requested the court to reject Bureau's request. The court after hearing arguments of both the parties rejected NAB's request and send the accused to jail on judicial remand.