June 27, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1423

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PESHAWAR, June 26: An accountability bench of the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal of a former NWFP minister, Ghaniur Rehman, challenging his conviction by an accountability court.

The bench, comprising Justice Khalida Rachied and Justice Shehzad Akber Khan, also dismissed three other petitions filed by his relatives challenging confiscation of those properties which were in their names.

They claimed that as Mr Rehman had nothing to do with those properties, therefore the order of accountability court was illegal.

The high court ruled that the appellant could not account for the properties mentioned by the National Accountability Bureau in the reference filed against him.

The bench reserved its judgment on Jan 31 after arguments were advanced by both the parties.

The ex-minister had been sentenced to eight-year rigorous imprisonment, fined Rs20 million along with forfeiture of properties, in his names as well as in the names of his benamidars.

The appellant, in the petition, had claimed that the accountability court had overlooked various important points while deciding the case against him. He had also stated that the witnesses had given conflicting evidence, which went in favour of the appellant. The evidence brought on record had proved that the assets he possessed had been made through legal means, he added.

Mr Rehman had thrice served as provincial minister for irrigation during the tenure of Pir Sabir Shah, Aftab Sherpao and Sardar Mehtab Abbasi as chief ministers.