KARACHI, Feb 8: A Supreme Court bench here on Friday granted interim bail to Raja Zaraat Khan, chairman of the Bawan Shah group of companies, in a sum of Rs1 million in a bogus tax rebate reference instituted by the National Accountability Bureau.

Appearing for the accused, Advocate Makhdoom Ali Khan argued before the bench comprising Justices Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari that his client had been in custody for 21 months. The entire evidence was documentary and there was no question of the official record being tampered with by the accused. There were 24 accused in the reference and all of them, including bank and tax officials, had either been freed on bail or not arrested at all.

The counsel also argued that the trial was yet to commence and the apprehension that documentary evidence would be tampered with had repeatedly been rejected by superior courts as a ground for refusal of bail.

Opposing the bail, NAB deputy prosecutor-general Siddique Mirza contended that besides tampering of evidence, there was the apprehension of the accused influencing witnesses in his favour.