PESHAWAR: The Accountability Court No 3 on Friday extended for seven days the NAB remand of former Inspector General Police Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Malik Naveed, in the weapons scam case.
The Court of Judge Walayat Shah granted the extension after the NAB's prosecutor sought more time to investigate the multi-million rupees weapons scam.
NAB special prosecutor Lajbar Khan informed the court that further time was needed for the probe into Malik Naveed's purchase of 58 substandard motorcycles for Peshawar police which was in addition to his involvement in purchase of substandard weapons, vehicles and other equipment for Mardan police worth Rs 490 million.
Malik Naveed's counsel Latif Afridi and Barrister Zahoorul Haq contended before the court that at the NAB had not proven any crime against their client since 43 days so the remand should not be extended and the former IG should be freed.
They added that their client can appear for the court if the need arose.
The NAB counsel remarked that under the NAB Ordinance, an accused could remain in the bureau's custody for maximum 90 days and hence the remand of the accused should be extended for further investigations.
The Court, after hearing the arguments of both sides, extended Malik Naveed's remand by seven days to the NAB.
The NAB inquiry had earlier revealed that a number of KP police officers and officials were allegedly involved in massive corruption and irregularities in the 2008-09 procurement by violating government rules and thus causing huge loss to the exchequer.
NAB had also arrested KP's police budget officer Javed Khan and the supplier Arshad Majeed in the scam.
The contractor Arshad Majeed had turned approver in the case and had told the court about the alleged kickbacks received by various government functionaries in the case.
Moreover a colonel and three majors of the Pakistan Army were sacked from military service after it emerged that they had accepted kickbacks while inspecting arms purchased by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the police in 2010.
