PESHAWAR, July 30: Two primary schoolteachers have been languishing in prison for about 20 months without any trial.

For the last five months, their bail applications have been pending before the special judge anti-corruption, but their file was taken away by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials more than a year ago, therefore their case could not be heard.

Despite repeated notices, the NAB authorities did not return the file.

Moazam Khan of government primary school (GPS), Gulshan Rehman Colony, and Bahadur Khan of GPS Thor Baba Kohat Road were arrested on Dec 10, 2001, on the charges of swindling money out of the AG office funds. The Anti-corruption Establishment had registered 18 FIRs against them.

According to reports, some officials of the Accountant General’s office and secondary education department were involved in the fraudulent disbursement of Rs14.29 million as pension to 33 ghost teachers through fake documents.

Fourteen persons were charged with the money swindling, but except the two schoolteachers all others were released on bail.

Initially, the special judge anti-corruption dismissed the bail applications of the two teachers on the ground that the record of the case was requisitioned by the NAB for an inquiry.

But the accused challenged the orders of the special judge through two different petitions.

A two-member bench of the high court, comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Shehzad Akber Khan, on Feb 6, 2003, disposed of the petitions.

The bench directed the petitioners to file fresh bail applications before the special judge anti-corruption and added that the judge should decide their pleas on merit and summon the record from the NAB.

The teachers filed fresh bail applications which have been pending before the special judge for the last five months.  

Both the accused claimed that they were implicated in the case as they belonged to primary schools whereas the fraud occurred in the secondary section. All the influential accused belonging to the AG office and education department were freed whereas “we are behind bars without any progress in our case”, they said.