PESHAWAR: An accountability court on Saturday acquitted a former project director of Swiss- funded Small Scale Enterprise Promotion (SSEP) Programme in a Rs27.56 million corruption case.

Judge Muneera Abbasi ruled that the prosecution failed to prove charge against the accused, Fasihuzzaman, while the evidence on record also didn’t connect him with the offence.

The National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had filed a reference against the accused around 15 years ago but at that time, he was at large.

The accused was arrested by the NAB in 2011.

Initially, the NAB had also arrested the programme’s coordination manager, Abdul Manan, in the case. However, he was released after his plea bargain request was accepted by the NAB chairman. He’d paid Rs600,000 to the government.

The NAB learned in an inquiry that the officials were allegedly involved in large-scale financial irregularities.

The project was initiated within the framework of the Agreement on Technical and Scientific Cooperation between Swiss and Pakistani governments.

The SSEP was conceived in 1994 as a pilot project for small enterprise development towards income and employment generation and entrusted to Swiss Contact, an NGO, for implementation.

The programme was executed for three years (1995-97) but its duration was later extended to 2001 with an aim to improve technical skills of construction-related small-scale industries, silk weaving industry and cottage textile industry.

Issac Ali Qazi, lawyer for the accused, said the case records clearly proved that the issue was not in the jurisdiction of the NAB as none of the accused held public offices.

He said during re-examination of the case by the NAB, the employer of the accused, Swiss Contact, a Swiss NGO responsible for the implementation of the SSEP Programme in Pakistan was contacted.

The lawyer added that the NGO had confirmed by email on July 15, 2014, that the accused at the time of severance in March 2002 had made an agreement discharging his liabilities.

He said the NGO had confirmed that by virtue of that agreement that the case was fully concluded and the file was closed and archived.

The lawyer said the accused was highly educated professional of international standing and that the instant reference had destroyed his entire career by the abuse of law.

ACQUITTED: An accountability court on Saturday acquitted former district food controller Pir Mehmood Ali Shah in a case of Rs11.12 million illegal assets.

Judge Haji Naseem Akhtar ruled that the prosecution didn’t prove the charge of illegal asset accumulation against the accused.

Barrister Mudassir Amir and Barrister Yaseen appeared for the accused and contended that the evidence on record didn’t prove that the assets possessed by their client were disproportionate to the known sources of his income.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2018