KARACHI: While major actions against key leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party for their alleged involvement in massive corruption are already in the offing, the party suffered a major blow on Thursday when one of its members of the Sindh Assembly and his two close relatives, both former MPAs, were convicted and jailed in a multi-million land revenue fraud case by an accountability court.

The court also disqualified PPP lawmaker Syed Ali Nawaz Shah, his nephew, ex-MPA Syed Imtiaz Ali Shah, and cousin, ex-MPA Syed Khadim Ali Shah, from holding any public office or contesting any election for next 10 years.

They were tried in a case moved by the National Accountability Bureau for preparing fake and forged land documents and obtaining compensation of land.

The NAB had filed the reference against them in the accountability court, alleging that Ali Nawaz and others sold land to the government required for LBOD and RBOD projects at inflated prices and later claimed the land as their own by making fake power of attorney and other land documents.

They were also charged with forging the record of the land revenue department for obtaining compensation of land.

It was alleged that the PPP leaders made fake ‘power of attorney’ so that executants of the power of attorney received the payment of compensation of land on owner’s behalf, though no such power of attorney was actually given by land owner in favour of the contractor or his representative.

MPA Ali Nawaz, who also served as federal and provincial minister, was sentenced to a five-year term in jail, while his nephew and cousin were jailed for four and three years, respectively.

He was first elected to the provincial assembly in 1977. He served as federal minister for industries in 1989. He has been elected a senator and MPA three times since then.

Non-bailable warrants out for Amin Fahim

Meanwhile, the federal anti-corruption court issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim in a multi-billion rupee scam case in the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).

Judge Mohammed Azeem took up as many as seven cases pertaining to the TDAP scam and once again directed the investigation agency to arrest the PPP leader and produce him in court on Oct 12.

Former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Makhdoom Amin Fahim, along with certain former and serving officials of TDAP, were booked for their alleged involvement in the approval and disbursement of fraudulent trade subsidies worth billions of rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and backdated cheques during the PPP’s latest tenure at the centre.

Gilani, who had on Monday obtained pre-arrest bail in the TDAP scam case, was, however, exempted by the court from his personal appearance in court during the proceedings on the request of his counsel, Advocate Farooq H. Naek.

So far the FIA has submitted final charge-sheets in 23 of the 72 cases made out of the TDAP scam in the anti-corruption court.

On Thursday, the court adjourned the hearing of the cases due to absence of the accused persons.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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