PESHAWAR, Oct 28: An accountability court here on Saturday indicted former minister of state, Haji Gul Sher, and three other accused in the famous Ring Road Land acquisition scam.

All the four accused — Haji Gul Sher, a former tehsildar, Mosam Khan and patwaris, Nisar Muhammad and Dilawar Khan — pleaded not guilty and decided to stand trial.

The court, presided over by Said Maroof Khan, fixed Nov 3 for next hearing.

Six of the co-accused are absconders in the instant case — former NWFP Chief Minister, Aftab Sherpao, former provincial minister, Habibullah Kundi, three brothers of Gul Sher namely Haji Khatam Gul, Jam Sher and Juma Sher, and a former land acquisition collector, Syed Ayub Shah.

Barring Aftab Sherpao, the remaining five absconding accused have already been sentenced in absentia to three years’ rigorous imprisonment.

The four arrested accused were charged with inflicting a loss of Rs310.067 millions to the exchequer in connivance with the six absconding accused.

The charge sheet against them states that they had fraudulently and dishonestly got fixed compensation of land situated in Mahal Lala Ahmad and village Saloo, Tehsil Peshawar at inflated and exorbitant rates.

Their alleged act is a crime under section 9 of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999, which is punishable under section 10 of the Act.