KARACHI: PW records statement in case against Mansoorul Haq
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 2: An accountability court put off on Thursday the hearing of a corruption reference against former chief of the Pakistan Mansoorul Haq and another former official of the navy after recording the statement of the seventh prosecution witness.
Judge Mohammed Jawaid Alam of the AC-4, who is also the administrative judge of all the ACs in Karachi division, fixed Saturday for the recording of further deposition in the case.
The former navy chief and Commodore Mirza Ashfaq Baig (retd) have been charged with causing a loss of more than Rs1.8 billion to the national exchequer in the purchase of three vessels for the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.
According to the prosecution, Mansoorul Haq with criminal intent to obtain undue benefits got an approval for purchase of the ships for the PNSC in 1994 from the then government.
When he was appointed chief of the naval staff, he allegedly plotted a conspiracy, with absconder Rear Admiral Javed Ali (retd) and co-accused Ashfaq Baig, for the purchase of the ships on much exorbitant prices.
The three navy officials were charged with violating the laid-down procedure, terms of approval and bought the ships, which were not technically suitable.
It was further alleged that the purchase of the ships was against the selection criteria of the Board of Directors and had been made without considering the classification record of the ships, payment of customs, regulatory and other duties.
The ships were Apolonia, bought for $14.82 million and later renamed Sawat, Ora Bhum for $15.55 million (Shalamar) and Independent Voyager for $16.77 million.
The accused allegedly in collusion, connivance and collaboration with each other and the absconder, Javed Ali, fraudulently misused their official authority to obtain undue benefits and they failed to exercise their authority to prevent the losses to the exchequer, and thereby committed an offence of corruption and corrupt practices as defined under section 9 of the NAB Ordinance.
A general manager of the PNSC, Haziq Swaleh, appeared as the seventh witness for the prosecution. He deposed that he along with Fazalur Rehman, director finance, had inspected Ora Bhum and Apolonia in 1995 in Hong Kong and Taiwan, respectively.
Iqtidar Ali Hashmi appeared for Mansoorul Haq and Mehmood Alam Rizvi for Ashfaq Baig, who is on bail. The prosecution is being represented by special public prosecutor Sarfraz Tanoli.
The prosecution witness was also examined by Farid Alam Rizvi, counsel for accused Ashfaq Baig.
The prosecution earlier examined Mehmood Ali, GM PNSC, Jawaid Mansoor, a former secretary of the PNSC, Khusro Khwaja, an elected director, Arif Saeed, a former secretary of the PNSC, Bashir A. Vistro, manager, and Imtiaz Haider Rizvi, another PNSC official.
ROBBERY CASE: An additional district and sessions judge, East, Inam-ur-Rahman, sentenced a house robber to nine years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs500.
The convict, Yar Mohammed alias Yaroo, would have to undergo an additional 15 days’ RI if he failed to pay the fine.
The judge, however, acquitted a co-accused, Siraj-ul-Islam, in the case for want of incriminating evidence against him.
The two accused were prosecuted for committing robbery in Mr Rizwan’s house in the police limits of Zaman Town on June 14, 1993.
The judge ordered that the case against an absconder in the case be kept on dormant file.
CONVICTED: An additional district and sessions judge, Malir, Mohammed Malik, convicted a minibus driver who had killed a man in a road accident in 1992 in the police limits of airport.
The judge sentenced Mohammed Yousuf to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and ordered him to pay Rs200,000 as Diyat to the legal heirs of the accident victim.
