March 21, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

ISLAMABAD, March 20: The Supreme Court on Wednesday exonerated Amir Lodhi, a co-accused in defence deals, from all corruption allegations. It observed that no evidence was available against him to prove the charges.

Earlier, an accountability court had separated the case of Amir Lodhi, who was accused of receiving $1.7 million as kickbacks from defence supplies, from the main corruption reference against former naval chief Mansoorul Haq.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Ijaz Yousaf and Justice Ijaz-ul-Hassan acquitted Mr Lodhi of all corruption charges by dismissing an appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau against an order of the Lahore High Court quashing the reference against him in 2007.

The apex court ruled that the case against Mr Lodhi, an international corporate lawyer living and working abroad for 30 years, had no merit as no evidence existed against him of any wrongdoing.