IHC releases 24 under trial prisoners in NAB references

ISLAMABAD: In wake of coronavirus threat Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ordered to release twenty four under trial suspects in various corruption-related references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Divisional bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq ordered to release such suspects being tried in fake bank accounts case, Madharba and Karke references.

The court ordered to release Mustafa Zulqarnain, Khawaja Suleman, Hussain Lawai, Taha Raza, Najam ul Zaman, Liaquat Qaimkhani, Faisal Nadeem, Aman Ullah, Dr Dansha, Nauman Qureshi, Abbas Ali, Javed Akhtar, Abdul Jabbar, Muhammad Arif, Jamil Ahmed and others. Hussain Lawai, who is said to be a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, facing inquiry in a Rs35 billion money laundering case, was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on July 6 in 2018.

The court issued order in the wake of the spread of the epidemic coronavirus in the country.

The NAB prosecutor opposed the decision and requested the court not to release such prisoners as they can fabricate the evidences against them.

Justice Athar Minallah remarked that sentence for such offences against them was not more than fourteen years but they were in risk of their lives in the jail.

Justice Minallah asked the NAB prosecutor that why they wanted to keep under-trial suspects in detention as the virus might spread to prisoners. He remarked that under trial suspects are considered innocent until the trial concluded. The court then issued orders for the release of such 24 prisoners.

The IHC had earlier granted bail to 408 prisoners imprisoned at Adiala Jail under minor offences amid coronavirus fears.