PESHAWAR: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to a former health secretary and two other officials of the health department and stopped the National Accountability Bureau from arresting them in a case of alleged corruption and misuse of authority.

The bench comprising Chief Justcie Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan directed the three officials, including ex-secretary health Sohail Altaf – presently serving as additional secretary cabinet division –, additional secretary health department Hussain Shah and a consultant of the department, Reham Zada, to submit two sureties each of Rs5 million.

The bench issued the directives in a writ petition jointly filed by the three officials. It also issued notice to the chairman and director general of NAB, asking them to explain their position.

A few days ago the executive board of NAB had decided to file a corruption reference against the three petitioners. The NAB has alleged that they were involved in corruption and misuse of authority and had caused loss of over Rs15.7 million to the national exchequer.

Senior advocate Qazi Mohammad Anwer appeared for the petitioners and contended that NAB had accused the petitioners of misappropriating funds during purchase of equipment for a public sector hospital, Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital, and Bannu Medical College, a few years ago.

He stated that recently the NAB’s executive board had given approval for filing of reference against the petitioners and they now apprehended that they might be arrested by the bureau.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2016