Daily Times

A judicial magistrate on Friday sent anchorperson Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain to jail on 14-day judicial remand in a bank fraud case. Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtza Virk conducted the proceedings, wherein the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) produced the anchorperson. The investigation officer submitted an application for 14-day physical remand of the anchorperson, saying that his custody was required for completing investigations and recovery of the forged mortgage deed and an amount of Rs 57.638 million, which was taken from a bank on the basis of forged mortgage deed. The FIA additional director legal submitted that the anchorperson was nominated in the case and he was involved in preparation of the forged mortgage deed, adding that he signed the deed as a witness. He submitted that the anchorperson neither joined the inquiry nor appeared before the trial court, which issued his perpetual arrest warrants after declaring him a proclaimed offender. He submitted that the anchorperson was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the entity, which obtained loan from the bank. He requested the court to grant physical remand for completion of investigation. However, the defence counsel Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique argued that the incident took place in 2003 and an FIR [first information report] was registered in 2011, whereas the anchorperson was declared a proclaimed offender in 2013, and arrested just one day ago. He submitted that no role had been assigned to the anchorperson regarding preparation of forged deed in the FIR. He submitted that the property had already been sold out and, in exchange, the amount had been paid whereas the bank had already withdrawn its case against the anchorperson from the Lahore High Court. He submitted that the anchorperson had already paid Rs 70 million as guarantor in the said mortgage deed and his properties had already been attached. He submitted that nothing was to be recovered from the anchorperson. He pleaded with the court to discharge his client as the matter had already been settled. At this, the court turned down the request for physical remand and sent the anchorperson to jail on 14-day judicial remand, observing that he had already deposited Rs 47.5 million to the bank and nothing was to be recovered from him. The court directed to produce the anchorperson on expiry of the remand term, Nov 11.