Misappropriation in government subsidy: Court to seek details of accused fled abroad

Hearing multibillion rupees fake bank accounts case on Monday, the Accountability Court decided to seek details of some accused of a case related to misappropriation in the government subsidy awarded to sugarcane growers from the relevant authorities who have fled abroad.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir hearing a corruption reference about misappropriation in the government subsidy for farmers questioned National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor about absence of some accused from the court. "Where are the rest of the accused? Did you not find them?" the judge asked.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that one of the accused Khawaja Anwar Majeed was in judicial custody at Karachi. He was seriously ill and, therefore, could not be shifted to Islamabad, he added.

The court ordered the jail superintendent to present medical report of Majeed before the court.

The prosecutor further told the court that NAB was still clueless about whereabouts of the some the accused. So far the NAB could not find out in which countries those accused were residing, he further said.

The court decided to seek details of the accused fled abroad from relevant authorities. The court extended judicial remand of accused Abdul Ghani Majeed and Dawoodi Morkas, and adjourned hearing till February 6.

Abdul Ghani Majeed, Khawaja Mustafa Zulqarnain, Sulman Younus and other accused appeared before the court. The NAB has nominated 40 accused in the reference.

The Bureau filed the reference against the accused over charges of embezzlement of millions of funds issued by the government of Sindh to sugar mills as a subsidy for onward payment to sugarcane farmers.

The Sindh government through provincial cane commissioner paid Rs 3.9 billion to different sugar mills for onward payment to genuine sugarcane growers as subsidy on account of supply of sugarcane for the season 2014-15.

An investigation was conducted against eight sugar mills owned by Omni Group of Anwar Majeed and his four sons Abdul Ghani Majeed, Nimr Majeed, Mustafa Zulqarnain Majeed and Ali Kamal Majeed.

The investigations revealed that out of Rs 728.18 million subsidy granted to eight sugar mills of Omni Group, an amount of Rs 346 million had been allegedly misappropriated in connivance with senior employees by showing their low-paid staff as sugarcane growers.