Kidney Hills reference: AC to indict Mandviwalla, others on March 16

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court, in the Kidney Hills reference, on Friday decided to indict Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla, ex-MD of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Aijaz Haroon and others on March 16. The accountability court in Islamabad was hearing a corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the illegal allotment of government land for plots in the Overseas Cooperative Housing Society, Kidney Hills, Karachi.

Saleem Mandviwalla appeared in the hearing being conducted by the accountability court’s judge Muhammad Bashir.

The NAB prosecutor requested the court to allow them to file an interim reference in the case. The judge questioned, “You have asked for filing the supplementary reference much earlier.” The prosecutor said that the bureau wants to begin the trial under the interim reference at this time. The judge remarked that the accused will be indicted on March 16 and issued directives to ensure the presence of all accused in the next hearing.

While talking to the media outside the court, Saleem Mandviwalla said that he had appeared in the hearing for the third time, however, the NAB failed to provide any evidence. He added that the court will frame charges in the next hearing. He alleged that the act of interfering in private business by the anti-graft watchdog had stopped the country from becoming a financially strong state as investors were afraid of establishing business in Pakistan.

The National Accountability Bureau had filed a reference against Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla in an illegal land allotments case on January 13.

The NAB, in its reference, alleged that the accused sold government plots to Abdul Ghani Majeed, son of Omni Group chief Anwar Majeed. According to NAB, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla had purchased fake shares in the name of his frontman by selling the plots. The NAB had also submitted a report to the court, which stated that former PIA managing director Aijaz Haroon had also played a key role in selling illegal plots to Abdul Ghani Majeed.

The NAB had nominated Saleem Mandviwalla, Aijaz Haroon, Abdul Ghani Majeed and Tariq Mehmood as offenders in the reference.