ISLAMABAD: Former chief minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Saturday filed a pre-arrest bail petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the fake bank accounts case.

A two-member division bench of the IHC will hear the petition on Monday.

In his petition, Mr Shah has cited the chairman and other officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as respondents.

The former chief minister in the petition stated that NAB is conducting an investigation into the fake bank accounts scam regarding alleged illegal allotment of amenity land of Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim and unlawful amalgamation with two plots of the Karachi Development Authority.

The petitioner contended that one Sajjad Ali Abbasi was taken into custody by NAB on the allegation that he, being the executive district officer (revenue) Karachi, was part of the committee that granted the amenity plot to Galaxy Construction Private Limited and further that he, as part of the Sindh Land Committee, regularised the land falling as part of Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim to the company. The IHC had already dismissed the interim bail of Sajjad Abbasi on June 14.

Mr Shah said in his petition that Galaxy Construction had submitted an application to the chief minister office on May 20, 2008, seeking allotment of the land. He said the application was referred to the relevant authorities and Sajjad Abbasi recommended allotment of land to the construction company at the rate of Rs70,000 per square yard.

On June 25, 2008, the Scrutiny Committee formed a sub-committee comprising officers of land utilisation and local government departments.

According to the former chief minister, the process of land allotment was finalised and approved by these committees and he “was neither part of any of the committees nor had any role to play in their constitution”.

Mr Shah claimed that he is innocent and has acted in accordance with the law.

The petitioner said that the case against him was never called upon in an inquiry and investigation. The case against him is based upon the documents which are in possession of NAB.

The petitioner requested the court to grant him pre-arrest bail as he is willing to join the investigation being conducted by NAB.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2019