ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Thursday granted time to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for submitting its reply regarding acquittal applications filed by two accused in sugarcane subsidy case under the National Accountability (second amendment) Ordinance, 2022.
Accountability Court-III judge, Syed Asghar Ali, while hearing misappropriation in the government subsidy awarded for sugarcane growers’ case, granted time to the NAB for submitting its comments with respect to acquittal applications filed by two accused, Ghulam Mustafa Memon and Faraz Ahmad under 256-K code of criminal procedure (CrPC) after defence councillor Asim Rizwan completed his arguments.
During the previous hearing held on March 7, the court directed the bureau to submit its reply with respect to acquittal applications of the two accused.
NAB prosecutor, Waseem Javed, did not appear before the court, while his junior Abid Zakir appeared before the court.
Zakir sought time for submitting comments about the acquittal applications.
The court approved the NAB’s request and adjourned the case till May 17.
The accused, in the case, include Abdul Ghani Majeed, Khawaja Mustafa Zulqarnain, and others.
The Sindh government through provincial cane commissioner paid Rs3.9 billion to various sugar mills for onward payment to genuine sugarcane growers as subsidy on account of supply of sugarcane for the season, 2014-2015.
An investigation was conducted against eight sugar mills owned by the Omni Group of Anwar Majeed, and his four sons, Abdul Ghani Majeed, Nimr Majeed, Mustafa Zulqarnain Majeed, and Ali Kamal Majeed.
The investigation revealed that out of Rs728.18 million the subsidy was granted to eight sugar mills of Omni Group, an amount of Rs346 million had been allegedly misappropriated, in connivance with senior employees by showing their low-paid staff as sugarcane growers.
Meanwhile, same court adjourned the hearing of suspicious transaction case against former president Asif Ali Zardari and others without proceedings due to pendency of Zardari’s petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the dismissal of his acquittal application till May 17.
According to the reference, Mushtaq Ahmed, a former stenographer of the presidency opened a joint account with a private housing society.
The account had been used for depositing corruption and laundered money, the reference said.
It said there was concrete evidence that Zardari had purchased House No F-32, Block 04, Clifton, Karachi, through corruption money.
It says that the stenographer, Ahmed had made payment for Zardari’s Clifton House.
An amount of Rs150 million was paid to one, Ahmad Abdul Bari against House No F-32, Block 04, Clifton, Karachi, which was transferred in the name of the accused, Zardari, from the account of Ahmed, it says.
The NAB reference says that during investigation, it has transpired that the accused, Ahmed, was appointed as a stenographer in the President House, who remained there from 2009 till 2013 and in the same period, the accused, Zardari was the president of Pakistan.
The financial profile of the accused, Ahmed, is also investigated, which shows that the accused, Ahmed had no such source of income to match with the magnitude of transactions in the above mentioned joint account, it says.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022