ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court, on Friday, could not hear the acquittal applications filed by the accused of Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) case under the National Accountability (second amendment) Ordinance, 2021 due to the absence of the defence counsels.

The Accountability Court-II judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while hearing the case regarding misappropriation in the WWF causing loss of Rs530 million to the national exchequer against Iftikhar Rahim, former secretary WWF, and others, adjourned the case till January 25 because of the absence of lawyers.

The accused have challenged the reference under the National Accountability (second amendment) Ordinance, 2021. The other accused in this case are former WWF director general Zahid Rashid and director Afzal Hameed and the CDA union leader, Amanullah Khan.

They were members of the financial bid opening committee of the WWF. The committee was constituted to examine the financial proposal of the bids received in response to a tender notice for procurement of land for a medical college and teaching hospital in Islamabad. According to the NAB, the accused willfully and knowingly recommended purchase of 150 kanals of lands at a rate of Rs3.7 million per kanal. The reference claimed that the accused caused a loss of more than Rs530m to the national exchequer.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022