18 April 2004	Sunday	27 Safar 1425

LAHORE, April 17: Accountability Court Judge Syed Shafqat Ali on Saturday summoning the investigation officer of an illegal assets reference against acting PML-N president and MNA Makhdoom Javed Hashmi for recording his statement adjourned the proceedings for April 28.

It is pertinent to mention that the court had already exempted Javed Hashmi from personal appearance in the court.

The NAB alleged that the accused possessed assets worth more than Rs28 million (assessed at the time of acquisition) having the market value of more than Rs38 million, in his own name or in the name of his dependents, from 1991-1999, disproportionate to his known sources of income, which he could not account for.

BOP SCAM: An Accountability Court on Saturday extended the physical remand of five accused, involved in the Bank of Punjab (BOP) scam, in NAB custody for another 13 days with the direction to complete the investigation in the meantime.

The accused were former vice-president Chaudhry Muhammad Younas, ex-general manager (Finance) Masood Ahmed Sheikh, ex-group executive administration, Dr Asif Hafeez Sheikh, Munqasim Rahat and director Sakhawat Husain Bukhari Pvt. Ltd Inbisatul Hassan.

The NAB had arrested the accused on charges that the bank officers had sent 2,78,5074 shares of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) worth Rs68 million belonging to the Bank of Punjab to M/s Sakhawat Husain Bukhari (Pvt.) Ltd along with blank verified transfer deeds. They also illegally enlisted the company as their agents for brokerage.

In this way, they aided the SHB directors to misappropriate the shares belonging to the bank, which caused a loss of more than Rs68 million.-PPI