KARACHI: An accountability court on Thursday remanded a senior official of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation in custody of the National Accountability Bureau till May 25 in a case pertaining to alleged illegal sale of over 200 acres of precious land in the metropolis.
Saif Abbas, former director land of the Karachi Development Authority, who is currently serving as director sports and culture in the KMC, is facing the allegations of illegally leasing and selling 300 plots in Bhains Colony in Deh Gangiaro.
The administrative judge of the accountability courts directed the investigating officer to produce the suspect on May 25 along with a report on progress in investigation.
Mr Abbas, who also worked as a member of the media wing of the unified Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was arrested by officials of the federal anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday.
The investigating officer produced the suspect before the administrative judge of the accountability courts and informed that he was involved in illegal lease and sale of 300 plots comprising 265 acres of prime land in the city.
The land in question was originally earmarked for wool washing, said the IO, adding that the suspect in his capacity as director land of KDA “misused his authority by allowing illegal leases of the plots”.
The IO informed that further inquiry into the land scam was required and requested for physical custody of the suspect, who was reportedly associated with Dr Farooq Sattar-led MQM-PIB faction.
A day earlier, the administrative judge had remanded another suspect, Shoaib Memon, who reportedly claimed to be a frontman of a former provincial minister, in custody of NAB for investigation in connection with the same case.
LG dept graft scam
The administrative judge of accountability courts, meanwhile, also extended the physical remand of two suspects, including the personal secretary to the secretary of the provincial local government department, in NAB custody in a case pertaining to alleged corruption in local government departments.
The judge directed the investigating officer to produce Ramzan Solangi and Javed Qamar on May 24 along with a progress report.
Earlier, the IO produced both suspects and informed that during investigation they had disclosed massive corruption in the award of contracts carried out through various transactions through banks.
The IO said eight to 10 accomplices of the arrested suspects were yet to be tracked down, therefore, he requested for extension in their physical remand to complete the investigation.
The NAB staff had arrested Ramzan Solangi last month for allegedly collecting monthly bribes from district municipal councils, union councils and various local government entities.
He was arrested on the information provided by another suspect, Javed Qamar, an alleged frontman of a former district administrator.
The investigating officer produced the suspect before the administrative judge of the accountability courts and informed that on a lead provided by Solangi, Rs31.5m, including foreign currency, prize bonds worth Rs1,843,000, 100 tolas of gold, gold ornaments and assets with certain documents were recovered from his residence in Garden.
During the initial probe, the prosecution claimed that it transpired that the suspect had been collecting millions of rupees as monthly bribes from various departmental heads.
Furthermore, it alleged that Solangi had been running a gang of such individuals, who were actively involved in working for influential persons for misappropriating funds of the local government department and their distribution.
Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2018
