PESHAWAR, April 22: An accountability court here on Thursday convicted a former deputy director of the provincial mineral department, Mohammad Akber Khan , and sentenced him to two years of rigorous imprisonment besides imposing a fine amounting to more than Rs2.5 million.

The court, presided over by Said Maroof Khan, observed that the prosecution had proven its case against the accused. The court directed that the fine should be recovered from the amount, which was recovered during house search of the accused by the investigating officer.

The accused was charged with accumulation of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The court extended him benefit of Section 382-B of Criminal Procedure Code under which his period of detention before his conviction would be counted in his prison term.

The National Accountability Bureau (Frontier) had filed a reference of Rs13.6 million against the accused. He was arrested on July 23, 2002 and had almost completed his sentence.

According to the prosecution, an amount of Rs4.2 million in the shape of Defence Saving Certificates, prize bonds and cash was recovered during the house search by the investigating officer. A spokesman for the NAB (F) said they had decided to go in appeal to the high court for enhancing the sentence as well as the fine.