KARACHI: An anti-corruption court discharged on Wednesday two former officials of the Pak-Arab Refinery Company in a graft case.

Ferozee J. Cawasji, the then assistant managing director (finance), and Anwar Ahmed Qureshi, the then general manger (finance), along with other officials of Parco and the Adamjee Insurance Company struck deals to ensure import of oil products, but they allegedly embezzled an amount of over Rs150 million through falsification of documents and payment of kickbacks between 2005 and 2008.

The suspects through their counsel moved acquittal applications and the prosecutor did not oppose them.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge of the special court of the federal anti-corruption court-I, Mohammad Azeem, allowed the applications.

The Federal Investigation Agency registered a case under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 477-A (falsification of accounts) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act-II, 1947.

Meanwhile, a sessions court acquitted on Wednesday a deputy superintendent of police and five other policemen in a robbery case.

DSP Chaudhry Safdar, Sub-Inspector Shakeel Javed, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Azhar Rizvi and Asim Pervez and Constables Abid Ashraf and Amjad Iqbal were charged with breaking into the house of a retired army major in Model Colony in 2008 and looting cash and valuables.

The additional district and sessions judge (east), Chaudhry Waseem Iqbal, acquitted the accused after recording evidence of witnesses and final arguments from both sides.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014