LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to PTI leader and former provincial minister Sibtain Khan in Chiniot mining contract case.
The bench directed the former minister to furnish two surety bonds of Rs 5 million each to secure the bail.
The division bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi heard the post-arrest bail petition filed by the former minister.
Advocate Haider Rasul Mirza appeared on behalf of Sibtain Khan and submitted that the bureau arrested his client on baseless allegations in connection with mining contract case. He argued that Sabtain Khan, being a minister for mines and minerals in 2007, only forwarded the summary moved by the then secretary whereas there was no allegation of causing loss to the national exchequer or gaining monetary benefit against him.
He pointed out that the bureau conducted an inquiry into the case earlier but it was closed after no evidence was found against his client.
He pleaded with the court to grant bail to his client, saying that he had been sent to jail on judicial remand and no longer required for investigations.
However, National Accountability Bureau's prosecutor opposed the bail petition, arguing that Sibtain Khan allegedly awarded an illegal multi-billion dollar contract to an alleged fake company for extracting minerals in Chiniot.
The bench, after hearing the arguments, granted bail to Sabtain Khan and directed for submitting surety bonds for the purpose.
Sibtain Khan had resigned from his position as provincial minister for Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife after being arrested by the bureau on June 15, 2019. Sibtain Khan was arrested on the charge of illegally awarding a multi-billion-dollar contract to an alleged fake company in 2007. As a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) minister for mines and minerals at that time, he had awarded a contract for extracting minerals in Chiniot district.
Meanwhile, a Lahore High Court division bench on Wednesday granted bail to former MPA of PML-N Hafiz Muhammad Nauman in Lahore Parking Company (LPC) corruption case.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) accused Nauman of having misused his authority as chairman of the LPC in awarding a contract for modernisation of the parking facilities of in the city.
Previously, the high court had denied bail to Nauman and the decision was challenged before the Supreme Court.
However, the apex court had remanded the matter to the high court with direction to decide it afresh.
Representing Nauman before the LHC, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar argued that the case against his client did not entail consequences under the National Accountability Ordinance 2001 as the NAB failed to bring on record any evidence showing that any crime had been committed in the award of the contract.
He argued that when establishing a case of misuse of authority the NAB was bound to show that the accused had made some illegal gains while consciously misusing his authority. He said that in the instant case not only there was no misuse of authority but also that the NAB had not even alleged that the petitioner made any illegal gain or had assisted any of his family members in making any such gain.
The counsel further told the bench that the decisions upon which the NAB's case was built were taken by the entire board of the parking company and not just by the petitioner who did not even have the authority to make any decisions exclusively.
He pointed out that the NAB never engaged other board members of the LPC in the investigation, which amounted to discriminatory accountability.
The bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem allowed the petition and granted post arrest bail to Nauman.