LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday sent two accused in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scam to jail on judicial remand as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) did not require them for further investigation.

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) chief engineer Israr Saeed and Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) chief engineer retired Col Arif Majeed were in custody of the NAB till April 3. However, officials produced them before the court on Thursday where NAB prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua told the judge that the suspects had recorded their confessional statements before a judicial magistrate required under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

When the court sought their statements, the prosecutor told the court that the statements were lying with the NAB chairman in sealed form and would be opened at the commencement of trial. He said their custody was no more required and the NAB chairman had also allowed their judicial remand.

Counsel of the suspects asked the court to release their clients on bail since the NAB did not require them anymore. The presiding judge, Syed Najamul Hassan, directed the counsel to approach the Lahore High Court for bail and sent them to jail.

Talking to media outside the court, Prosecutor Janjua claimed that the suspects had become approvers against Cheema and made confession in their statements recorded under section 164 of Cr.P.C before the magistrate.

The NAB had arrested six persons, including former LDA chief Ahad Khan Cheema, Shahid Shafiq Faridi of Bismillah Engineering Company, Israr Saeed, Arif Majeed, Imtiaz Haider and Bilal Qidwai for their alleged involvement in the scam.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2018