Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court’s bench has referred the bail plea of Karachi Development Authority’s former director land Syed Athar Hussain, the co-accused in Dr Asim Hussain’s Rs 432.5 billion corruption reference, to the chief justice for the disposal.

A division bench, headed by Justice Junaid Ghaffar, observed that the bail pleas of other accused persons in the same reference were accepted by other bench. “Let the matter be fixed before the chief justice for appropriate orders in view of dicta laid down by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in another case,” it ruled.

The KDA’s former director land has been behind bars since April 2016 for his alleged facilitation in illegally allotment of land to Dr Asim. Dr Asim and others face charges of depriving the public exchequer of Rs 462.5 billion to get land allotted illegally, encroaching upon the state land for expansion of Dr Ziauddin Hospital, money laundering and receiving kickbacks, while using his powers as advisor on petroleum.

According to National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Athar was nominated in the reference for his illegal favor to Dr Asim. He had allotted 2 acres land in North Nazimabad and 2.8 acres in Clifton to Dr Asim where two branches of Ziauddin Hospital are located, it added.

Athar had approached the court, submitting that he was behind the bars for one year but his bail application was not being decided for one reason or other. His lawyer contended that Dr Asim, the prime accused in the case has been granted bail by SHC on medical grounds.