PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau has referred the request of the former special assistant to a former chief minister, Syed Masoom Shah, for plea bargain in a corruption case to an accountability court for final approval.

The development comes following the approval of the request by the NAB chairman on the condition of returning Rs258.7 million ill-gotten wealth to the government.

An application was submitted by NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, investigation officer Mohammad Gul in the court of judge Mohammad Ibrahim Khan to finalise the ‘plea bargain’ of Syed Masoom Shah, who was arrested on Aug 11 for possessing illegal assets.

NAB chief has already accepted request on condition of returning Rs258.7m to govt

The court summoned the accused imprisoned in the Peshawar Central Prison to appear before it for Jan 19 to finalise his ‘plea bargain’ under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

The investigation officer said the NAB chairman had approved the accused’s application for ‘plea bargain’ in return of the payment of Rs258.7 million.

He added that the NAB had no objection if the court approved the request and freed the accused if he’s not required in any other case.

Under Section 25-B of the National Accountability Ordinance, the NAB chairman is empowered to accept the plea bargain of an accused but has to refer the case to the relevant accountability court for approval.

If the plea bargain is finalised, the accused, who was the special assistant to former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti, will be disqualified from holding any public office for 10 years.

The accused, an ANP leader, had earlier given application to the NAB for voluntary return of Rs200 million.

However, NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry turned down the application and converted the inquiry against him into investigation.

Following the authorisation of investigation or end of inquiry stage, an accused person could not be exonerated by the NAB chairman on the basis of voluntary return. He could only apply for plea bargain for which the approval of the relevant court is necessary.

The NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa arrested Mr Masoom Shah on the charge of possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of his income.

While he was in custody, the NAB had recovered 4.5kg gold bars concealed by him.

The accused remained nazim of Shabqadar tehsil in Charssada district from 2001 to 2004 and later served as the special assistant to then chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti from 2010 to 2013 when the ANP-PPP coalition ruled the province.

The properties allegedly possessed by the accused include a hujra on 12 kanals of land in his village, Battagram, in Charssada; two plots each in Hayatabad Township, Regi Model Town and DHA Karachi; a precious house on Tulip Road of Bahria Town, Rawalpindi; one kanal house in Zaryab Colony, Peshawar; three kanal precious land in Tehkal Bala, Peshawar; and a kanal land on Warsak Road, Peshawar.

The NAB alleged that he also possessed shares in the Usman Construction Company Karachi and MSN Company Karachi.

Interestingly, before his arrest, the accused had also filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court seeking orders for stopping the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission from taking any adverse action against him as NAB has already been conducting inquiry in his case.

During the pendency of that petition, he was arrested by the NAB.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2016