The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted interim pre-arrest bail to former chief minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah in the fake bank accounts case.
A two-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the petition and also issued notices to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) authorities, besides accepting Qaim's pre-arrest bail till August 29.
The IHC bench also directed the anti-graft watchdog to submit its reply in this matter.
In his petition, Qaim Ali Shah made chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other officials of the NAB as respondents. He stated in the petition that NAB is conducting an investigation into the fake bank accounts scam regarding alleged illegal allotment of amenity land of Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim and unlawful amalgamation with two plots of the Karachi Development Authority.
The former chief minister contended that one Sajjad Ali Abbasi was taken into custody by NAB on the allegation that he, being the executive district officer (revenue) Karachi, was part of the committee that granted the amenity plot to Galaxy Construction Private Limited and further that he, as part of the Sindh Land Committee, regularised the land falling as part of Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim to the company. The IHC had already dismissed the interim bail of Sajjad Abbasi on June 14.
The petitioner said that Galaxy Construction had submitted an application to the Chief Minister Office on May 20, 2008, seeking allotment of the land. He said that the application was referred to the relevant authorities and Sajjad Abbasi recommended allotment of land to the construction company at the rate of Rs 70,000 per square yard.
He added on June 25, 2008, the scrutiny committee formed a sub-committee comprising officers of Land Utilisation and Local Government departments. According to the former chief minister, the process of land allotment was finalised and approved by these committees and he "was neither part of any of the committees nor had any role to play in their constitution."
He asserted that he is an innocent and had acted in accordance with the law. The petitioner said that the case against him was never called upon in an inquiry and investigation. The case against him is based upon the documents which are in possession of NAB. Therefore, he prayed to the court to grant him pre-arrest bail as he is willing to join the investigation being conducted by NAB.