Chiniot mining case adjourned till 17th

LAHORE: An accountability court on Saturday adjourned the hearing of Chiniot mining case till April 17.

The court has ordered issuance of advertisement again for declaring accused Arshad Waheed as proclaimed offender in the case.

The NAB had filed reference against former Punjab Minister for Mines and Minerals Muhammad Sibtain Khan along with eight other accused of illegally granting of a multi-billion contract to M/s Earth Resource (Pvt) Ltd (ERPL) with alleged abetment and connivance of the management of Punjab Mineral Development Corporation (PUNJMIN) regarding leasing rights of iron ore deposits located at Rajoa and Chiniot areas. According to the reference details, NAB Lahore’s Combined Investigation Team (CIT) had launched a probe over an alleged lopsided agreement after being referred from the Lahore High Court that a mining agreement between M/s ERPL and PUNJMIN’s management for mining of huge iron ore deposits comprising 500 metric tonnes located in Rajoa and Chiniot areas of Punjab.

The inquiry was authorised against ERPL’s CEO Arshad Waheed and the management of PUNJMIN which later revealed that former Minister Muhammad Sibtain Khan in abetment with officers of PUNJMIN allegedly with mala fide intentions permitted for landing into an illegal joint venture agreement between PUNJMIN and ERPL in July 2007 knowing the fact that M/s ERPL had no past experience in mining. Moreover, the agreement was executed without administering any open competitive bidding process against public policy and national interest. Furthermore, the PUNJMIN agreed to awarding mining contract worth billions of rupees with simply 20 per cent gaining partnership to a company (ERPL) having merely Rs2.5 million surety. During the course of ongoing inquiry, NAB Lahore arrested prime accused Muhammad Sibtain Khan on June 14, 2019 while co-accused namely former Mines and Minerals former Secretary Imtiaz Ahmed Cheema, Operations and Planning (O&P) former General Manger Muhammad Aslam and former Punjab Mines Chief Inspector Abdul Sattar were also nabbed. Whereas remaining three co-accused namely Planning & Development (P&D), Punjab former Chairman Salman Ghani, legal adviser PUNJMIN/ex-director of ERPL Muhammad Shahid and PUNJMIN Managing Director Rao Manzar Hayat were arrested during the investigation process. Later, Rao Manzar Hayat turned approver against the chief alleged culprits of the scam.