The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could not find any evidence to arrest leader of opposition’s Rehbar Committee Akram Durrani in three corruption cases.
As per the details, Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah while closing the bail application remarked that NAB should file a reference against Durrani if it has proof.
The NAB prosecutor told the court that Bureau did not issue arrest warrants of Durrani and currently there is no need to do this.
NAB prosecutor further said no one can be arrested without evidences and in this case NAB issued arrest warrants of Durrani’s front man Rehmat Ullah.
Justice Athar Minallah said there is need to make NAB prosecution strong and in foreign countries no one can be arrested in this manner. He said MQM founder is still free despite hard allegations against him.
The court closed bail application of Akram Durrani and six others and interim bail of Rehmat Ullah was approved till December 8.
Earlier, Akram Durrani approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for extension in his bail plea in NAB cases.
The high court had extended his interim bail until November 21 during his last appearance.
NAB officials submitted a report in the case, not opposing bail plea of the former chief minister of KP in assets beyond means and illegal allotment cases.
Sources quoting the NAB report said that it was submitted with the IHC that the bureau has only issued warrants for the personal secretary of Durrani. “No warrants are issued for the arrest of Akram Durrani and his family members,” said the report adding that the NAB issues warrant of a person only if it wants to arrest him.
They said that the NAB authorities were directed from the high court to submit a report on the matter before Thursday’s proceedings but after a delay, it was finally submitted on Thursday.
Meanwhile, talking to media at the IHC, JUI-F leader Durrani said that his party would begin implementation on ‘Plan C’ from Friday (today) with country-wide protest demonstrations.
The provincial leadership of the party will sit to devise a strategy to implement the plan, he said.
On November 12, Durrani appeared before the NAB Rawalpindi to reply on three accountability inquiries against him including assets beyond means, fake recruitment and illegal land allotment.
In a previous visit, the NAB had asked questions from Durrani about recruitment on vacancies with fake domiciles.
Remand: Meanwhile, an accountability court on Thursday extended judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member of National Assembly Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique till November 29 in Paragon City scandal.
During the hearing, the court has also allowed Khawaja Saad Rafique to leave for Islamabad on production order to attend NA session.
On the occasion, strict security arrangements were taken to avoid any untoward incident.
Earlier, accountability court had rejected Khawaja brothers’ acquittal pleas and extended their judicial remand till October 30 in Paragon Housing Society reference.
On April 26, the NAB Lahore had approved filing of a reference against the Khawaja brothers and Nadeem Zia for the alleged corruption.
Qaiser Amin Butt, the director of Paragon Housing Society, was also included in the inquiry initiated by the NAB, and he was also arrested in November last year. Later, he agreed to turn approver against the Khawaja brothers and Zia.
Butt and Zia established a company “Air Avenue” in the year 2003; however the name was later changed to Paragon City private (Pvt) Limited.
On December 11, 2018, Khawaja brothers were detained by the accountability watchdog after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected their bail plea.
The NAB had launched an investigation into the alleged scam in November last year after a number of victims staged protests and held a press conference at the Lahore Press Club against what they termed the housing society’s fraud.
The accountability court of Lahore on Thursday also suspended warrants for the arrest of former CJP Justice (r) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s son-in-law Dr Murtaza Amjad and three others accused in the Eden Housing Scheme scam.
Earlier, the affectees related to the Eden Housing Society case held a demonstration outside the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s house.
The PTI leader claimed that the others accused of allegedly cheating people who had invested their money in the Eden Housing Society included Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son, Arsalan Iftikhar, his daughter and the father-in-law of his daughter.
Former CJP Chaudhry had made the decision to hear a case regarding the housing scheme himself and later gave “relief” to its owners because they were the “in-laws” of his daughter.
There are at least 10,000 affectees of the group. Dr Amjad and his two sons had managed to flee the country in April last and travel to Canada as the interior ministry did not put their names on the Exit Control List despite a request by NAB.
NAB has estimated the property seized from the Eden group to be worth up to Rs20 billion.
