Ahad Cheema case: CJP orders recovery of amount given beyond regular salary

LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to recover salaries from the former director general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema, which he received as the chief executive officer of Bhikki Power Plant, beyond his regular salary.

Chief Justice (CJ) Mian Saqib Nisar also ordered the authorities to seize the properties, owned by Cheema in case of default. A bench, headed by the chief justice, was hearing the case regarding the LDA City project in which Cheema is accused of corruption worth billions in a deal between Paragon Housing Society and Punjab Land Development Company to construct the Ashiana-e-Iqbal housing scheme, a low-cost housing project of the Punjab government.

Cheema was brought to the court by NAB from jail on the directions of the Chief Justice. The chief justice chided Cheema for misusing the public money for development schemes including Orange Line Metro Train project. Justice Nisar asked Cheema who was responsible for the destruction. “First Orange Line Train was ruined and now the LDA City,” he remarked. However, at the same time chief justice also showed annoyance at NAB poor investigation in the case. “I can tell you they all will be freed soon. Solving a white-collar crime is an uphill task,” the chief justice reminded the counsel for NAB.

Responding to the court’s query, he said the government introduced the concept of public-private partnership from the DHA and claimed the process of land acquisition was going smoothly till the intervention by NAB. Cheema said the LDA had decided to outsource the acquisition of the land for the housing scheme to avoid litigation. He said a big housing scheme of the authority namely LDA Avenue-I was not accomplished due to litigation despite lapse of decades. However, his rhetoric could not impress Chief Justice Nisar who instead snubbed him and remarked: such kind of illogical things could work before a chief minister, but not in the court. Cheema admitted he was getting Rs1.4 million monthly salary as CEO of Bhikki power plant whereas his regular salary was around Rs100,000. "Who is this person whose salary was raised from Rs100,000 to Rs1.4 million," the CJ remarked. Justice Nisar continued, “What was LDA’s connection to Paragon City that an agreement was made? You were the government’s chosen person. You received salary at the Bhikki Power Plant.”

The bench further questioned, “What political favours did you give after this salary was granted? If you were such the chosen person, then the chief minister would have paid you right out of his own pocket.” He tried to justify his salary, saying the government had made a policy to hire competent officials on market-based salaries. However, Chief Justice Nisar observed that the beneficiaries of the market-based salaries were the real brains behind the discriminatory policy. “Why you have not returned the excessive salary yet while other officers have already surrendered theirs as per the court order,” the CJ asked Cheema. “I have no money. And I have not been informed about such order in jail,” Cheema replied and also complained about his ‘deteriorating’ health in jail. Chief Justice Nisar directed NAB to recover the additional salaries from Cheema by confiscating his properties if he did not have cash. The chief justice said the court would order medical check-up of Cheema at any government hospital if he had filed an application to this effect.

Meanwhile, the court directed LDA Director General Amina Imran Khan and lawyers of three development companies/ partners to find out a solution to meet the deficiency of land to complete the LDA-City housing scheme.The lawyers for the Urban Developers, Maymar Housing and Pak-Estate undertook before the court that they are ready to acquire the required land for the LDA. The Urban’s counsel Ahsan Bhoon said if the court would order, his client are ready to acquire all the deficient land measuring 20,000 kanals for whole project.

Chief Justice Nisar observed that the prime concern of the court was to protect the rights of those individuals who bought files of the LDA-City but never got the plots. The chief justice adjourned hearing till Dec 29.