LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Friday told the Lahore High Court that a diploma of the Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE) possessed by Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan was genuine.

ACE Deputy Director Abdul Majeed stated before the court that the allegations against the minister of having obtained a fake diploma had been found baseless during an inquiry.

He said a report would soon be filed before the trial court for the cancellation of the FIR lodged against the minister.

The court adjourned the hearing till March 4 for further arguments in the case.

Sarwar Khan had filed a petition challenging the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption court to hear a case about his alleged fake degree of graduation. He had alleged that the trial court was holding proceedings against him at the behest of the previous government of the PML-N.

The ACE, in its earlier report filed before the trial court, had declared the minister guilty and his indictment had been delaying due to his non-appearance before the court. The other day, the trial court had expressed serious dismay over continuous non-appearance of the minister and summoned him for March 19 with a warning of issuing his arrest warrants in case of failure.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2019