KARACHI: An accountability court on Friday remanded the former chairman of the Karachi Port Trust in judicial custody till Jan 21 in a case pertaining to corruption of Rs2.8 billion through illegal job regularisations in the trust.

Then federal minister for ports and shipping Babar Ghauri, the then KPT chairmen Javed Hanif, Rauf Akhtar Faroo­qui along with Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Sapa­ras, Mehmood Sharif, Ameer Ali Brohi and another have been accused of committing corruption through illegal regularisation of 940 employees of the KPT.

On Friday, the matter was fixed before the accountability court-II judge Aaliya Latif Unnar, when four accused appeared before the court on bail and two others were produced from prison.

The IO informed that Rauf Akhtar Farooqui was arrested in Islamabad following dismissal of his bail application by the Supreme Court on Jan 8. Earlier, he had escaped to avoid his arrest after his bail was recalled by the Sindh High Court.

The judge was informed that the federal anti-graft watchdog had filed a reference against eight persons accused of their involvement in illegal regularisation of 940 employees of the KPT, causing losses to the tune of Rs2.8bn to the national exchequer.

The IO further informed that the court had already indicted six accused, while initiating proceedings of proclamation and attachment of properties of the absconding accused, including Farooqui and Ghauri, which had been ordered.

The judge remanded Rauf Akhtar Farooqui in judicial custody till Jan 21 with the direction to produce him on the next date of hearing.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2019