Daily Times

KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court has declined to hear the bail plea of Lines Area Redevelopment Project (LARP)’s additional director finance jailed for allegedly being involved in china-cutting and the sale of plots at throw-away prices.

LARP’s deputy directors, Farid Naseem, Waseem Iqbal and Shahid Umer, additional directors Atta Abbas and Rashid Hussain were arrested in July last year for allegedly cutting an area of 7,624 square yards in the city’s Lines area illegally and selling plots at throw-away prices, causing Rs 363 millions loss to the national exchequer.

A division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto had taken up the bail petition of Shahid Umar who sought bail on the ground of statutory delay.

Justice Naimatullah rescued himself from the bench after Umar’s lawyer pointed out that he was the member of the bench that had earlier dismissed the bail of his client.

The bench, therefore, referred the matter to the SHC chief justice to place the same before another bench for disposal.

At the outset, the NAB’s special prosecutor informed the judges that the applicant along with other LARP officers divided large commercial plots and leased out to private parties at the rate of Rs 200 per sq yard instead of auctioning them at the rate of Rs 50,000 per sq yard.

The plots were earmarked to be auctioned through minimum reserve price of Rs 50,000 per sq yard.