The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on Monday grilled the officials of Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for failing to furnish evidence against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in a corruption inquiry related to purchase of plots in a housing society at a “throwaway price”.

The court had on Friday suspended Sanaullah’s arrest warrant in the same case and sought the case record from the ACE today.

Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister for Anti-Corruption retired Brigadier Musaddiq Abbasi had on Oct 8 alleged that Sanaullah took two plots as a “bribe” from an “illegal housing society” — the Bismillah Housing Scheme — in Chakwal district.

The ACE had obtained the minister’s warrant since he allegedly failed to comply with the repeated summons in case registered with the anti-graft body.

Akhlaq Ahmed, the owner of the society, has also been booked for allegedly bribing Sanaullah with a plot to get his society registered, claimed the prosecution.

Taking up a petition filed by Sanaullah’s lawyer today, Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan reminded the ACE lawyer to furnish proof before the court.

“Rana Sanaullah is the purchaser of plots from a housing society and you are filing cases against the buyer instead of providing protection to him,” the judge asked.

ACE lawyer responded that the no objection certificate of the housing society had not been issued. However, Justice Khan said the NOC had nothing to do with the case.

The judge asked the prosecution to provide evidence corroborating their claims that the minister acquired plots as a bribe. “Where is the proof?” he reiterated his query to the ACE lawyer.

The court directed the prosecution to furnish evidence to support its claims and adjourned the hearing till Oct 28.

The case

Abbasi, the Punjab CM’s adviser, said on Oct 8 that the ACE had initiated an inquiry against Sanaullah (in 2017), who was then the Punjab law minister.

“During the investigation, it has been revealed that in the opening ceremony of Bismillah Housing Society, Colony Kallar Kahar, Sanaullah, who was provincial law minister at that time, participated along with his wife. The housing society’s owner gifted Sanaullah two plots measuring 10 kanals as a bribe,” the adviser had said and added the plots in question were transferred to Sanaullah by the society at a much lower than scheduled rate.

Abbasi had also claimed that those two plots were still in the possession of Sanaullah and his wife, which itself was “proof” that he had got these as a bribe by using his official position.

He had said the case was registered in 2019 but the minister did not appear before ACE. “Sanaullah was re-summoned on Oct 6 but he did not appear before the ACE after which non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him,” he had said.

The retired brigadier had said the ACE was taking indiscriminate action against the corrupt elements and no one was above the law.