ISLAMABAD: A former media adviser to ex-prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that he was ready to pay back the kickbacks which he allegedly received from a carpet manufacturer for allocating a LPG quota to it.

A division bench, comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice Athar Minallah, heard the petition filed by Mian Khurram Rasool through his counsel Amjad Iqbal Qureshi.

The counsel pleaded before the court that his client was ready to submit a payment schedule and he be granted bail in the case.

In August 2012, NAB filed a reference against Mr Rasool, the proprietor of True Concept Partnership and Paramount Rainbow Company, on the charges of inducing people to invest in the two companies by creating a false impression that they were doing business of sugar and scrap with the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and the Pak-Arab Refinery Company (Parco).

Claiming Rs630 million from Mr Rasool, Afghan Carpets alleged that despite receiving the amount the former media adviser to Mr Gilani failed to allocate the LPG quota to the company. Advocate Qureshi said the total payable amount to the carpet manufacturer was not more than Rs120 million.

As per the NAB investigation report, the accused was assisted by his brother Shahid Mehmood in deceiving people for monetary gains of up to Rs380 million.

The court, however, directed the counsel for the accused to submit the payment schedule within a fortnight. The court also issued notice to NAB and adjourned the case.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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