KARACHI, Nov 6: Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and former defence minister, was acquitted on Tuesday by an accountability court in a corruption reference.

Judge Aley Maqbool Rizvi of the AC-1 exonerated him from the charge of appointing 122 people in the Civil Aviation Authority in violation of rules and regulations during 1992 and 1993 when he was defence minister.

Judge Aley Maqbbool Rizvi in his 10-page judgment observed that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond any reasonable doubt as no evidence was brought on record against the accused. The judge also observed that there were major contradictions in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses.

The PML-N leader, who had also served as a Sindh High Court judge and Sindh chief minister, is in London for medical treatment. He was initially arrested in the famous Oct 12 plane hijacking cases soon after the dismissal of the Nawaz government in 1999. He was, however, acquitted in the hijacking case by the trial court.

Later, the authorities arrested him in the corruption reference moved by the National Accountability Bureau. However, the PML-N leader, represented by Fahim Riaz Siddiqui and Arshad Jadoon, was ordered to be released by the Sindh High Court on bail and he left the country on medical grounds in Oct 2001.

Defence counsel Siddiqui told Dawn that their client was exonerated from all charges as the prosecution had failed to bring on record any evidence against him. “There was no legal or documentary evidence against Mr Shah,” he added.

The defence attorney stated that 112, out of a total of 122, people were given regular jobs in the CAA after they duly appeared in tests and interviews in Jan 2004. He said the director-general of the CAA had regularised the services of all the 122 people involved in the reference.

The prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor M. A. Wasti, examined in all 13 prosecution witnesses in the case.

Following the departure of Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, the trial court sent a reference to the Sindh High Court for taking legal course against the accused as the case could not have moved ahead due to the non-appearance of the accused.