ISLAMABAD: The accountability court on Monday reserved verdict on the pleas seeking acquittal of former deputy chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla and ex managing director Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Aijaz Haroon in corruption reference.

Mr Mandviwalla, Haroon and Omni Group’s director Abdul Ghani Majeed were seeking acquittal under section 265-K of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) saying that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could not file reference against him over private transactions.

Earlier, NAB in its reply submitted to the accountability court requested the court to reject the acquittal petitions.

NAB accused them in illegal allotment of plots of Overseas Cooperative Housing Society Limited (OCHSL) (Kidney Hill) case.

The Accountability Judge, Mohammad Bashir has reserved the judgment after the prosecution and defence counsel concluded the arguments.

Further hearing in this matter has been adjourned till May 19.

NAB has alleged that former chairman of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) “Aijaz Haroon and Saleem Mandviwalla embezzled the government land through illegal and fraudulent allotment, and received illegal and unlawful gains of Rs144.2 million from fake bank accounts namely A-One International and Lucky International under the garb of business deal or property transaction with Abdul Ghani Majeed, the chief executive officer of Omni Group”.

The report further claimed that the purported property business deal was coordinated by accused Saleem Mandviwalla using his brother Nadeem Hakeem Mandviwalla sole proprietorship namely Mandviwalla Builders and Developers and received Rs64.2m out of the total crime proceeds of Rs144.2m. The same was misappropriated through the purchase of leasehold of a trust namely Dewar-i-Hadayyah, Karachi, by accused Saleem Mandviwalla.”

NAB further claimed in the report that “Mehmood is an employee and front man working as a manager of the Mandviwalla Builders and Developers and he held around Rs3.1 million shares of M/s Mangla View Resort Private Limited in his name on behalf of accused Saleem Mandviwalla and Nadeem Hakeem Mandviwalla. He is salaried person and has no financial worth to purchase shares worth Rs30 million.”

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2021