KARACHI, Jan 10: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday granted pre-arrest bail in the sum of Rs2 million to Younus Habib, former chief operating officer of the defunct Mehran Bank, for awarding financial facilities of Rs395 million to the Balochistan Wheels, a project of the Tawakkal group.
The bench, comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Attaur Rehman, also issued notice to the DAG for Jan 21.
Younus Habib moved the court through Abdul Mujeeb Pirzada, challenging the impugned order of Jan 3 of Special Court for Offences in Banks where a corruption case against him is pending.
Applicant’s counsel submitted that the FIA on Feb 8 submitted an interim charge-sheet before the trial court and his client’s name was not mentioned in the list of the accused.
On Nov 26, the FIA submitted the final charge-sheet before the trial court and included applicant’s name in list of the accused, which was accepted by court on Jan 3.
It was the contention of applicant’s counsel that Younus Habib’s name had been shown as prosecution witness in first challan and he was mentioned as an accused due to mala fide intentions of Assistant Director FIA Ghulam Farooq who has personal grievances against him.
According to the prosecution, the Balochistan Wheels approached the Mehran Bank for grant of financial facilities. Later, the credit committee of the MBL approved a Rs395 million loan in favour of the Balochistan Wheels. Younis Habib, being the chief operating officer, of the MBL is also one of the members of the committee.
Later, the NBP acquired the control of the MBL. Complainant Mazharul Haq, assistant vice president of the NBP, lodged an FIR with FIA’s Commercial Bank Circle Karachi against seven directors of the BWL for causing a huge loss to the public exchequer.
Meanwhile, the same bench reduced the surety amount to Rs1 million from Rs1.9 million on an application filed by accused Haji Mateenuddin, an employee of the NBP, praying for a cut in the surety amount. On Nov 27, a bench of the SHC granted him bail in the sum of Rs19 million.
According to the prosecution, the FIA registered a case against accused Haji Mateen and Islamullah on the complaint of bank manager that both of them took away prize bonds worth Rs19 million from a locker of the bank. Police arrested them and submitted their challan in banking court.
NOTICE ISSUED: Notices were issued against secretary public health engineering, its director-general and an engineer, by a division bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sayed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Musheer Alam, was hearing a constitutional petition filed by Ali Khan Jokhiyo, a poultry farm owner.
The counsel for the petitioner submitted before the court that 10 acres were allotted to him in Tapo Joreji, Deh Dhabeji, Malir, Karachi on a 30-year lease. The PHE department in order to provide electricity to tube-wells of village Achar Salar erected poles and four poles were erected on the land owned by the petitioner, his counsel submitted. It was maintained that the poles were erected without the consent of the petitioner.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the respondents to remove the poles from his land and to pay compensation for trespassing.
The bench after hearing petitioners’ counsel issued pre-admission notices to the respondent officials of PHE while adjourning the petition to a date in office.—APP
