MULTAN: The Lahore High Court, Multan bench, on Wednesday granted bail to six officers and a contractor in the Multan Metro Bus Project case.

Those granted bail include former chief engineer Sabir Khan Saodizai, executive engineers Amanat Ali and Riaz Husain, sub-divisional officers Manzoor Ahmed, Rana Wasim and Munam Saeed and contractor Syed Masood Husain.

Mr Sadozai stated his name was not mentioned in the application on which an inquiry was initiated as the consultant and contractors were hired after a transparent prequalification process while cost estimates for five packages of civil works were prepared by the consultant which was approved by the P&D department in the PDWP meeting held on Feb 19, 2015 and he was relieved from the charge of chief engineer on October 9, 2015.

Masood Hussain said he had been in the construction business for many years and was owner of a company in the joint venture of two companies. He said that the project was completed to the entire satisfaction of the employer but in January 2018, the National Accountability Bureau started an inquiry into the matter on an anonymous complaint for corruption and corrupt practice in the award and execution of the contract by the officials of the Punjab Mass Transit Authority, consultants, contractors and others involved in approval and execution of the contract.

Double bench consisting of Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmed and Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram granted the bail to the accused.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2019