The Accountability Court hearing the multibillion rupees fake bank accounts case on Monday sent former senator of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Yousaf Baloch to jail and turned down the request of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for extension in his physical remand.
The NAB officials produced the accused before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir on expiry of his 12-day physical remand. The NAB prosecutor requested the court to extend his physical remand but the court rejected the Bureau's request and sent him to jail. Defense Counsel Shah Khawar objected to the NAB's request and said that investigation officer must be asked what kind of investigation he has conducted and what questions he has asked from the accused.
The counsel said that the accused transferred a plot in Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim to his name and then sold to Dr Dinshaw Anklesaria. The plot was purchased in 1997 and he transferred it to his name in 2000, he said, adding that during former president Pervez Musharraf's regime, army officers of brigadier ranks were appointed at land transfer department and he did not commit any corruption.
He said that investigation officer remained in Karachi for five days during the physical remand and custody of the accused. "How can they say that the plot was a part of Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim?" he asked, saying the NAB chairman had closed this inquiry in 2004.
The NAB prosecutor said that the Bureau should be informed about the procedure adopted for transfer of plot. The plot had been sold to Galaxy International at Rs 300 million while it had been purchased at Rs 30 million, he said, adding that the transaction of Rs 300 million had been made through Silk Bank and the NAB wants to investigate it. He prayed to the court to extend physical remand of the accused for further interrogation. However, the court turned down the NAB's request and sent the accused to jail.