QUETTA: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday submitted an application to the accountability court in Quetta for withdrawal of a plea bargain request of Mushtaq Ahmed Raisani, a former provincial finance secretary and main accused in perhaps the most shocking corruption scandal to have hit Balochistan in recent years.

The bureau’s senior prosecutor, Rashid Golra, informed the court that at a recent meeting held in Islamabad the NAB’s executive board, presided over by NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, had rejected an application filed by Raisani for a plea bargain.

He added that in view of the rejection of Raisani’s request for plea bargain, the bureau be allowed to withdraw an application submitted by it to the court for a plea bargain deal.

Raisani, civil works contactor Sohail Majeed Shah and other accused were present in the court.

Meanwhile, lawyers representing Raisani and Shah — Advocates Kaleemullah Quraish and Akram Shah respectively — completed the cross-examination of a prosecution witness, Muhammad Hussain.

Abdul Majeed Nasar, the judge of the accountability court, adjourned the hearing of the case till April 21.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2017