KARACHI, May 19: An accountability court sentenced, on Wednesday, two dismissed officials of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation to seven-year term for misappropriating Rs13 million lying in the contributory provident fund.

Judge Qaiser Iqbal of the AC-1 also disqualified both the officials from being elected or appointed in any public office. PNSC's account manager Ashique Ali, and an office assistant Raees Ahmed had been found involved in the Rs13 million fraud.

The third accused in the case, M. Akram Khanzada, who was administrator of the provident fund and chairman of PNSC staff union, remained untraceable and was convicted in absentia by the judge.

Special public prosecutor Syed Nadeem Hussain Shah, who examined 13 prosecution witnesses in all, said that there was enough documentary evidence against the accused, who had illegally withdrawn Rs13.505 million from the employees' provident fund.

According to the prosecution, accused Ashique was custodian of cheque books and he was bound to maintain the proper record of the provident fund. All the three accused were authorized to sign cheque books and sanction loans to the PNSC employees.

From 1995 to 2000, the accused withdrew the amount by issuing 139 cheques in fictitious names. Judge Qaiser Iqbal said, "It has been established that all the accused persons misused their authority.

In collusion/connivance with each other, they have dishonestly or fraudulently misappropriated the amount of Rs13,505,000 lying in the provident fund and by corrupt, dishonest and illegal means [they] obtained for themselves pecuniary advantage.

The accused thereby committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices as defined in clauses (iii), (iv) and (vi) of the Section-9 (a), punishable under Section-10 of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999," he remarked.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs1,208,000 on Ashique Ali, who would have to undergo an additional one-year term of simple imprisonment in case of default. Accused Raees was fined Rs673,000.

The judge observed, "I have come to the irresistible conclusion that accused Ashique Ali and Raees Ahmed as manager and administrator of the PNSC's Employees Provident Fund were entrusted with all affairs, having domain over the financial matters, and they committed breach of trust and liable to be punished."

Absconding accused, Akram Khanzada, was sentenced to a three- year term for deliberately avoiding the court proceedings against him. The judge observed, "Accused Akram Khanzada was involved in corruption and corrupt practices along with the co-accused, he had deliberately absconded to avoid service of warrants.

The accused was also dismissed from the services of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation vide dismissal order dated April 20, 2002, by the competent authority.

Section 31-A of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance provides that when the accused absconds in order to avoid being served with any process issued by the court under this ordinance, or evades the service or himself in such process, or conceals himself to screen out from the proceedings or punishment under this ordinance shall be guilty of an offence.

It was ordered that the case of absconding accused be kept on dormant file, which would be reactivated on his arrest.