March 1, 2003	Saturday	Zul Hijjah 27, 1423

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PESHAWAR, Feb 28: A single bench of the Peshawar High Court on Friday dismissed an appeal of a former rent controller of the Mardan Municipal Committee, and upheld his conviction by a trial court.

The appellant, Sahibzada Riaz Ahmad, was awarded seven-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs20,000, by the additional district and sessions judge, Swabi, after he was found guilty of misappropriating Rs1.825 million of the committee.

The bench comprising Justice Dost Mohammad Khan observed that the prosecution had proved its case against the appellant and there was enough evidence on record to prove the appellant’s involvement in the crime.

The appellant, who had served as rent controller from 1991 to  1999, was charged with collecting rents of the municipal property and not depositing the same in the committees’ account. An FIR was registered against him by the Anti-Corruption police,  Mardan, under section 419, 420 and 468 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Mr Ahmed remained absconder for about nine months.

Advocate Ijaz Khan appeared for the state and argued that the rent amount was received by the appellant, and according to the evidence on record, it was not deposited with the committee.

APPEAL REJECTED:  A single bench of the high court on Friday  rejected the appeal of a former lady supervisor of the Kohat  District Council and upheld her conviction.

However, the bench reduced her three-and-a-half-year prison term to only three months, but the fine was enhanced from Rs80,000 to Rs120,000.

The appellant, Ms Shaheen Kausar, was convicted by a court in Kohat, on Oct 16, 2000, for producing forged academic certificates  of matric, intermediate and graduation.

According to the prosecution she was appointed as lady instructor in 1986 in the district council.

In 1999, while applying for the post of lady supervisor in the council, she  produced her academic certificates, which proved fake in a later inquiry.