PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday denied bail to former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti’s brother, Ameer Ghazan Khan Hoti, in a high-profile weapon purchase case.

Following the completion of arguments by the lawyer for Ghazan and the National Accountability Bureau, a bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain pronounced dismissal of the bail plea of Ghazan.

The petitioner was held by the NAB on April 15 after the high court rejected his pre-arrest bail plea.

The NAB alleged approver in the case Arshad Majeed, a private contractor, had claimed he had paid Rs195 million to Ghazan through his front man, Raza Ali, who was also arrested.

It alleged in return of the payment, Ghazan had asked Arshad Majeed to raise the price of bullet proof jackets, which he was providing to the police department, from the already approved price.

The NAB has claimed that an amount of over Rs7 billion was released by the government for purchase of weapons, vehicles and equipment for improving the law and order situation in the province.

A reference of Rs2.03 billion has already been filed against 10 of the suspects including a former provincial police officer Malik Naveed, Ghazan, Raza and seven other police officials.

Qazi Jawad Ahsanullah and Lateef Afridi, lawyers for the petitioner, said merely on the statement of a so-called approver the petitioner could not be imprisoned.

They said Arshad Majeed was the prime suspect in the case and he was set free by the high court after he agreed to voluntarily return Rs102 million.

Qazi said as per the record of the NAB a servant of Arshad Majeed had taken Rs195 million to the hujra of Ghazan, but it did not mention to whom the money was paid. He said the NAB had also claimed that on the said day of alleged payment made to Ghazan a sum of Rs200 million was withdrawn from his bank account.

The lawyer, however, said as per record of the bank accounts no such amount was withdrawn on that particular day. He also produced documents related to different bank accounts of Arshad Majeed.

Qazi said no recovery was made from the petitioner. He said another suspect in the case, Jawed, an accounts officer in the police, had already been granted bail by the court.

The lawyer said the petitioner had been doing business in UAE for many years and got nothing to do with the affairs of the police department.

NAB deputy prosecutor general Jamil Khan said the high court had already denied bail to Malik Naveed and Raza Ali in this case.

He said the NAB had already filed reference before the concerned court and at this stage the suspect was not entitled to the concession of bail.

Meanwhile, the bench also dismissed a petition filed by a suspect in the case, Akhtar Mohammad, seeking release on bail.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2014