Court seeks arguments on Gill’s acquittal plea

LAHORE:An additional district and sessions court on Thursday again sought arguments on an application moved by Shahbaz Gill, special assistant to prime minister on political communications, in a defamation suit of a company that had sought action against him for allegedly levelling false allegations.

The court adjourned the hearing till July 5 on Gill’s application seeking acquittal. The petition against Gill stated that the Albayrak Group was doing construction, waste management and transport business in Pakistan, Somalia and other countries. The petition said the group had introduced an 18-meter-long metro bus in Pakistan, which is better than normal buses. However, Shahbaz Gill made a statement against the petitioner on Sept 26, 2020, in a TV programme, alleging that the petitioner had signed the metro bus project with the Pakistani government for $3.68 per kilometre rate, out of which Suleman Shahbaz, son of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, was paid $1.85 per kilometre as bribe. The petitioner stated that the allegations of corruption were baseless. It stated that Shahbaz Gill had accused the company of indulging in corruption without any evidence, thus affecting its repute. It claimed that due to Gill’s campaign against the company, it had lost millions of dollars.

remand extended: An accountability court on Thursday extended judicial remand of National Highways Authority (NHA) former Director Shaukat Hussain and five others accused of causing a loss of Rs60 million to national kitty through bogus payments.

The court has extended judicial remand of the accused by July 25. The NAB had arrested accused NHA Director Shaukat Hussain, Land Acquisition Collector (NHA) Naveed Murad, two Deputy Accountants Hassan Mehmood and Muhammad Faroque and others. The NAB had initiated an inquiry against the accused on a complaint filed by NHA chairman in 2017. The government had started a project of extension of Bahawalpur-Rahimyar Khan 273-km long road from 2003 to 2004.

The accused transferred a huge amount of Rs60 million as bogus payments for the land which was not purchased. Gujrat police: An accountability court Thursday adjourned the hearing of Gujrat police funds embezzlement case by July 8.

The court has summoned prosecution witnesses for next hearing. National Accountability Bureau had probed four former DPOs of Gujrat in this case, including SP Kamran Mumtaz, SSP Rai Ijaz, SSP Sohail Zafar Chattha and Rai Zameer. As per NAB claims, all four former DPOs during their tenure in Gujrat had embezzled billions under different heads of procurement, including petrol, uniforms, martyr funds, fake vouchers, pensions and alleged ghost employments.