ISLAMABAD: The prime accused in the multi-billion rupee Grand Hyatt scam has left the country without informing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), an official of the agency told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday.

FIA official Javed Sultan informed the court of this during the hearing of a petition filed by the chief executive officer of the private firm BNP for quashing the FIR against him.

The FIA has last month registered a formal FIR against Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, the chief executive office of the private builder BNP as well as against former Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman Kamran Lashari and members of the CDA board in the Grand Hyatt case.

Those nominated in the case are accused of making billions of rupees through fraud

The FIR was registered under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIA also booked former member planning retired Brig Nusrat, former member finance Kamran Qureshi, former member administration Shaukat Mohammad and former member engineering Moin Kakakhel. Additional legal adviser Rai Nawaz Kharal, former director estate Habibur Rehman Gillani and former project management director Dr Faisal Awan were also nominated.

The FIR alleged that the builders constructed luxury apartments instead of a luxury hotel and sold apartments illegally, thereby extracting billions of rupees from the public through fraud.

However, investigation agencies were restrained by the IHC from arresting the accused after they challenged the FIR but allowed the FIA to proceed against them in accordance with the law.

During Monday’s hearing, deputy attorney general Raja Khalid Mehmood opposed the plea to quash the FIR saying that the investigation in this matter was still in progress. The court will hear this matter again on June 22.

Last year in July, the CDA cancelled the 99 year lease of the 13.5 acre plot adjacent to the Convention Centre to BNP. In March this year, the IHC upheld the CDA’s decision saying the authority had extended undue favours to the builder.

Those who are affected by the Grand Hyatt case include PTI Chairman Imran Khan, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Mohammad Ashraf Wathra, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Chairman Absar Alam, former Chief Justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk and former Lahore High Court chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry among others.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2017