May 10, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 4, 1429

KARACHI, May 9: The Accountability Court-IV, Karachi, on Friday convicted Mohammad Akhtar Qureshi, an employee of the Karachi Port Trust, after he was found guilty of misappropriating over Rs5.4 million collected as approach fee from vessels.

The convict was awarded five years imprisonment and ordered to pay Rs1 million as fine. In case of default on the fine, he will have to undergo another one-year rigorous imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, Qureshi, while discharging his duties as senior clerk in the KPT’s case and assessment branch from Aug 3, 1999 to Jan 5, 2002, was required to assess and collect approaching fee as per the KPT rules from the country vessels.

He was supposed to send the relevant bills to the cash and assessment branch.

However, he deliberately and dishonestly used to receive amounts in cash from the persons concerned and shipping companies under the head of approaching fee and did not deposit the actual amount he charged.

Instead, he fraudulently entered the wrong amounts and caused losses to the tune of Rs54,77,918 to the KPT.

The reference was filed against him on June 8, 2004.—APP