KARACHI, March 15: An accountability court sentenced on Thursday a former public health engineering department director and his younger brother to 10 years in prison in a corruption reference.

Nazir Ahmed Soomro, ex-director (technical-1) of the Sindh government public health engineering department, was found guilty of accumulating moveable and immoveable properties disproportionate to his known legitimate sources of income during his tenure as a public servant. Co-accused Waheed Murad Soomro was found guilty of purchasing properties by using the illegitimate income of his elder brother.

Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the Accountability Court-I pronounced the verdict after hearing final arguments from both sides.

Besides the imprisonment, the court ordered confiscation of the properties of the accused persons, including four flats and a four-acre industrial plot, and bank accounts.

According to the verdict, a fine of Rs5 million was imposed on each convict. In case of default, they would have to undergo an additional two years in prison.

The judge declared both the convicts disqualified for 10 years from being elected or appointed a member of any public body or statuary authority and government services.

The court observed that the charge against the accused that during his posting in the public health engineering department, he misused his authority and accumulated properties, which were incompatible to his known legal source of income, was proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The co-accused also used the income of his brother, purchased properties and operated bank accounts, the court added.

According to the reference (07/09) filed by the National Accountability Bureau, the investigation was conducted against Nazir Soomro following a complaint filed against him in 2006.

It was stated that the accused joined the civil services in 1974 and the co-accused was his younger brother and their father was a mason, thus they did not inherit any property from him.

The NAB filed reference against the accused in 2009 under Sections 9 and 10 of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.