PHC releases deputy secretary, contractor

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday issued release order of the deputy secretary of the local government department, Ayub Jan and a contractor who had been arrested by the Ehtesab Commission on charges of getting contract of the General Bus Stand in Peshawar at much lower rates.
A two-member bench comprising of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Musarrat Hilali allowed interim bail of the accused after hearing arguments from petitioners’ lawyers and prosecutors of the Ehtesab Commission.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission had arrested the government contractor, Muhammad Javed and secretary of the local government department, Ayub Jan, on charges of getting contract of the General Bus Stand in Peshawar at lower rates than those prevailing in the market.
Lawyers Muhammad Fida Gul and Naveed Akhtar appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioners. They submitted that the petitioners were wrongly charged in the case as the contract was awarded through open bidding after all legal formalities were met.
The Ehtesab Commission’s prosecutors contended that the suspects had caused millions of rupees loss to the exchequer by getting the contract at much lower rates.They pointed out that the Local Council Board had set target of Rs220 million for awarding the contract for the year 2012-13, but it was obtained by the contractor with the connivance of the suspected government official for Rs160 million only.