Acquittal pleas of Khwaja brothers dismissed

LAHORE: Accountability Court Judge Jawadul Hassan on Wednesday dismissed the acquittal pleas of Khwaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khwaja Salman Rafique in the Paragon Housing Society scam.

Earlier, on Monday, the court had reserved its verdict in the case. On Wednesday, the court rejected the acquittal pleas of Khwaja brothers and extended their judicial remand by October 30. The court has summoned witnesses for next hearing for continuation of a regular trial.

Khwaja brothers had filed their acquittal applications contending that the Paragon City reference falls under the jurisdiction of the Companies Act 2017. The counsel of Khwaja brothers argued that the actual forum to handle such a case is the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). Moreover, the disputes regarding a private business did not fall within the jurisdiction the NAB Ordinance 1999.

On the other end, the NAB prosecutor argued that there were rulings by the apex court that the trial court could not entertain such appeals after the indictment. He said NAB powers were protected under Section 18(C) and D of the NAO 1999 and the bureau filed the case after following the spirit of law. Saad revealed that he had contracted typhoid in the jail and was taking medication for it.