PHC snubs NAB, seeks reply in 15 days in IGP case

Author: Staff Report

PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday ordered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reply within 15 days on a bail application of former Inspector General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Malik Naveed.

A division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Syed Afsar Shah and Justice Ibrahim Khan was hearing the case. The court was informed by the petitioner’s lawyer Abdul Sattar Khan that the applicant was booked two years ago in weapons scandal case by the NAB.

The counsel argued that out of 200 witnesses only a few have recorded the statements within a period of two years. He said that investigation officer’s statement has been partially recorded so far; however, no concrete evidence was presented against the applicant.

“No solid evidence could be brought before the court against the petitioner to prove his involvement in the weapon scandal case who has been behind the bar for the last two years for the crime he never committed,” he argued.

As Justice Ibrahim Khan, earlier as judge Accountability Court, has issued various judgments therefore the case was transferred to another bench.

The NAB two years back had filed a reference against the former police chief, the then Frontier Constabulary (FC) Commandant Abdul Majeed Khan, former additional IGP Operations Abdul Latif Khan, Central Police Office (CPO) DIG Sajid Ali Khan, ex-DIG Headquarters Muhammad Suleman Khan, former budget officer of the police department Javed Khan, former CPO Establishment AIG Kashif Alam, former Telecommunications DIG Sadiq Kamal Orakzai, as well as Raza Ali Khan and Amir Ghazan Hoti, brother of the former chief minister Amir Haidar Khan Hoti. The reference was filed after NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry gave an approval in this connection claiming that Rs 2.03 billion had been embezzled in the Rs 7 billion contract for purchasing weapons and other equipment for KP police in 2008-2010. During the course of inquiry, NAB discovered that the contract was awarded and advance payment had been made to a firm which had no previous experience of supplying weapons and security equipment.