A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Wednesday granted bail to Muhammad Khan Bhatti, the former principal secretary to the former chief minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, in a Rs 1.25 billion Gujrat development projects reference. The court ordered the former principal secretary to furnish surety bonds of Rs 10 million to avail the relief. The division bench, headed by Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, heard the post-arrest bail petition filed by Muhammad Khan Bhatti and announced its verdict upon the completion of arguments by both parties. The petitioner’s counsel argued before the court that the accountability court had rejected his client’s bail contrary to the facts. He pleaded with the court to grant bail to his client, claiming he was innocent and that his custody was no longer required for the investigation. However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor opposed the plea and requested its dismissal. In February 2024, Muhammad Khan Bhatti approached the LHC for bail after the accountability court rejected his bail petition in the reference filed by the NAB. Muhammad Khan Bhatti faces charges of misuse of authority and receiving kickbacks of over Rs 1 billion in connection with the approval of more than 116 development schemes for the Gujrat division. The NAB alleged that the suspect manipulated the awarding of contracts in favor of preferred contractors in collusion with government department officials. The Bureau further stated that the proceeds of corruption committed by Muhammad Khan Bhatti were transferred into the bank accounts of former chief minister Parvez Elahi and his son, Moonis Elahi.
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