KARACHI: 10 farmers convicted of causing loss to govt
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 3: An accountability court convicted on Tuesday 10 persons for causing loss to the national exchequer through embezzlements in the funds of the provincial food department.
Judge Dr Qamaruddin Bohra of the AC-1, who pronounced judgments in three references, sentenced the accused, all wheat growers, to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment each and imposed fines, amounting to the liability of each person.
They were Bashir Ahmed Mahesar (Rs300,160), Mohammed Malook Mahesar (Rs360,192), Riaz Ahmed (Rs324,172), Inamullah Mahesar (588,313), Yaseen Sharaf ((960,521), Masood Mehmood Mahesar (Rs1.2 million), Allah Dino (Rs600,320), Naseer Ahmed (480,256), Hussain Bux (306,163) and Mohammed Ali (Rs243,129).
The convicted wheat growers had not supplied the wheat to the procurement department and misappropriated different amounts against fake bills and with the connivance of officials of the food department, in 1999, in Khairpur.
They would have to undergo an additional two and a half years’ RI if they failed to pay the fine.
A former food controller of Khairpur district, Mohammed Siddique Ghakkar, and another food department official had earlier been convicted by the AC-3, headed by then judge Rahmat Hussain Jafferi.
The former official of the food department was arrested on Aug 19 last year for his alleged involvement in misappropriation of more than Rs17.5 million.
There were more than 50 accused, most of them still untraceable, in the main reference, which involved Ghakkar and other food department officials.
Later the case of the food officials was separated from that against the nine growers, Riaz Ahmed, Inamullah, Yaseen Sharaf, Masood Mehmood, Mohammed Ashraf, Allah Dino, Naseer Ahmed, Hussain Bux and Mohammed Ali.
Two of the accused, Riaz Ahmed and Masood Mehmood, were are on bail and the judge ordered their immediate arrest following the judgment.
The judge also ordered the release of an accused, Ghulam Qadir Mahesar, who returned the amount misappropriated by him.
However, the judge, who has so far pronounced judgments in as many as 33 references, did not accept the application of the prosecution for withdrawal of the case against Ghulam Qadir Mahesar.
Accused Mahesar, who had surrendered before the court on Saturday, is the father of a serving army officer.
In his 44-page judgment in reference No 48-A/2000, the judge observed: “It is pertinent to mention here, while finalising the judgment, one of the absconding accused, Ghulam Qadir Mahesar, surrendered himself. He was taken into custody and remanded to jail. At the same time special public prosecutor, Nisar Ahmed Tarar, along with deputy prosecutor general of NAB, Aamir Raza Naqvi, presented application under section 31-B of the NAB Ordinance, 1999, for withdrawal of prosecution against the accused person.”
The judge further wrote: “This court ordered that the material, which was placed before prosecutor general of NAB for arrival to the conclusion of withdrawal of the case of the proclaimed offender, be placed before this court at first instance and hearing of the application was fixed for 3-12-2002, when reference was already fixed for judgment. Today Aamir Raza Naqvi appeared as well as accused produced in custody along with his counsel. Heard additional deputy prosecutor general, who stated that material could not reach him and he could not produce the same, though he had faxed the direction of this court to the NAB authority.”
The judge, who ordered that the case of six absconding accused be kept on dormant file, also observed: “Before parting with the judgement, it is pertinent to point out that the absconding accused persons were attending their government offices regularly and they were not being arrested despite repeated non-bailable warrants, which reflects negligence and lack of responsibility for chasing the absconding accused persons on the part of the NAB officials and investigation agencies.”
