Former MPA granted bail in corruption case

LAHORE: 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.