LAHORE: An accountability court on Friday declared PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif's son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf a proclaimed absconder, an accused of receiving graft money from the CEO of the Punjab Power Development Company (PPDC) Ikram Naveed.
Earlier in August, accountability court judge Syed Najam-ul-Hassan had initiated proceedings to declare Imran Ali proclaimed offender on the request of accountability bureau’s prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua under Section 87 of the CrPc. On Friday, the officials concerned informed the court that the accused had gone underground and was not traceable. They said most probably the accused had left the country. On this, the judge remarked that the accused has all the properties in Pakistan how can he live abroad. Later, the court declared Imran Ali proclaimed offender and directed NAB official to submit a report regarding moveable and immoveable assets of former CM’s son-in-law. The hearing was adjourned by September 24. As per details of Imran Ali case, the bureau has accused him of receiving graft money from the CEO of the Punjab Power Development Company (PPDC) Ikram Naveed.
He has also been accused of getting appointed Ikram Naveed as CEO PPDC. It is pertinent to mention here that Imran Ali was not appearing before the bureau since April, 2018 after which the bureau had asked the interior ministry to extradite him via Interpol. Before that, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) had carried out an investigation against Ikram Naveed and Imran Ali Yousaf in 2016. It declared Ikram Naveed guilty of embezzling Rs450 million.
The ACE in its investigation found that Ikram Naveed had purchased 19 properties in his and his family members’ names and also unearthed his and his family members property worth over Rs1 billion. Later, in April, the NAB arrested Ikram Naveed on the charges of corruption worth hundreds of millions. Ikram Naveed purchased three properties in a plaza ‘Ali Trade Centre’ worth approximately Rs300 million owned by Ali Imran. It has also learnt that the NAB has seized properties of Ikram Naveed said to be having worth of Rs1 billion. Meanwhile, an accountability court in Ahad Khan Cheema case has summoned NAB prosecutor and Ahad’s counsel for arguments on a plea of NAB seeking remand of Ahad Cheema in another inquiry pending before the NAB.
