KARACHI, May 27: An accountability court sentenced on Friday a sales tax official and his wife to a 10-year term for amassing wealth beyond known means of their income. Judge Mrs Qaiser Iqbal of the AC-1, who is also the administrative judge of all ACs in Karachi, also imposed a fine of Rs14.24 million each on Shamim Ahmed Siddiqui and Mrs Shaista Shamim.
The sales tax official, who was arrested last year was already in the judicial custody and his wife, who was on bail, was taken into custody immediately after the pronouncement of the verdict.
The judge also ordered that the defaulter on the payment of the fine would have to undergo an additional three-year term.
The case against the couple was investigated by Faqir Mohammed, investigator of the National Accountability Bureau.
The prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor Naeem Ahmed Tanoli, examined in a ll 19 prosecution witnesses against the accused.
According to prosecution, the accused raised assets and properties through corrupt and illegal means. They were found in possession of a bungalow and two flats in the Defence Housing Authority.
CONVOY ATTACK CASE: Judge Feroze Mahmood Bhatti of the ATC-2 put off hearing of the corps commander convoy attack case against 11 workers of the banned Jundullah group after recording the statement of two prosecution witnesses.
The judge fixed June 1 for the next hearing after the depositions by Dr Zeeshan, who had conducted the autopsy on the body of Ashok, a passerby, and assistant sub-inspector Imtiaz, who had lodged an FIR at the Boating Basin police station. The two PWs were also crossed-examined by the defence counsel.
Ata ur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoiab Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar and Khalid Rao are facing a series of offences, including attack on the motorcade of Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, on June 10 last year on old Clifton bridge, which resulted in the death of six army personnel, three policemen and a passer-by.
The Jundullah men were charged with the offences under Sections 302, 324, 404 and 34 of PPC, Section 7 of the Anti-terrorist Act, 1997, and Section 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act.
Adnan Shah alias Tipu, Mohammed Qasim, Maaz, Shahab, Bilal, Tayyeb, Hammad and Fasih have been declared absconders.
The prosecution, being represented by special public prosecutors Iqtidar Ali Hashmi and Maula Bux Bhatti, has cited as many as 60 prosecution witnesses in the case. Five PWs have so far been examined by the prosecution.
