LAHORE: An accountability court on Wednesday extended physical remand of a secretary to former federal minister Moonis Elahi while sent another suspect to jail on judicial remand in a case of alleged corruption in development schemes launched for Gujrat division.

The NAB produced Sohail Asghar Awan, the secretary of Moonis, and Khalid Mahmood Chattha before the court on expiry of their previous physical remand.

Prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua asked the court to extend physical remand of the suspects as the investigation was underway.

Advocate Mukhtar Ahmad Ranjha appeared on behalf of suspect Awan and opposed the remand request. He argued that the Anti-Corruption Establishment had registered a case against his client on similar charges but the special court discharged him for want of evidence.

The counsel said a person cannot be tried before two courts on similar charges.

He alleged that the NAB kept the suspect in illegal detention for weeks before presenting him before the court for first remand. He said the suspect was not a secretary but a relative of Moonis Elahi.

At this, the prosecutor intercepted and warned the defence counsel against misleading the court saying evidence was available on record to prove that the suspect was a secretary to the former federal minister and also involved in corrupt practices.

Advocate Adnan Sheikh appeared on behalf of suspect Chattha and said his client was in the bureau’s custody for the last 17 days. He said all the record of the case was already available with the bureau and there was no need to grant further custody of the suspect.

Judge Zubair Shahzad Kiyani extended the physical remand of Awan till Aug 29, however, denied further custody of Chattha to the NAB and sent him to jail on judicial remand.

The NAB launched an investigation against the suspects, including former chief minister Parvez Elahi, his son Moonis, Sohail Asghar Awan, the officials of C&W and highway departments from Gujrat namely Saadat Nawaz Ajnala and Mehar Azmat Hayat on the allegations of misuse of authority and receiving illegal gratification.

It alleged that the investigation prima facie established that the suspects including then chief minister approved schemes under supplementary grants and awarded contracts to their favourite contractors against kickbacks in sheer violation of the rules.

The bureau alleged that Elahi being the chief minister influenced the co-suspects and got at least 116 schemes approved. It said Elahi misused his position and influenced award of the contracts of the schemes to favourite contractors and received kickbacks through his co-suspects and his son Moonis. The NAB said the suspects caused a huge loss to the state exchequer with their corrupt practices.

Moonis Elahi, who left the country last year, faces multiple cases of corruption and money laundering registered against him by the Federal Investigation Agency and the Anti-Corruption Establishment as well.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2023