PESHAWAR, June 6: A former chief minister, Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, and former senator Haji Gul Sher recorded their statements before an accountability court in the Ring Road land acquisition case on Thursday.

The statements were recorded under section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code by presiding officer Said Maroof Khan before the case was adjourned to June 13.

In his written statement, Mr Sherpao said he had been falsely implicated in the case. He stated that he was not in office when the compensation for the land acquired for the project was fixed.

Mr Sherpao said the only allegation against him was that he had not given approval to a summary that sought to file an appeal against the fixation of compensation at inflated rates. He added that when the summary was moved the appeal was time-barred.

Haji Gul Sher said he had no relations with the mutations of the land produced by the prosecution. He added that the land acquired for the project belonged to his brothers and not him.

He said the compensation was not fixed at exorbitant rates as the lands acquired by the government were commercial land, and therefore its rates were high.

On the next date of hearing, the court would record statements of other accused — former Tehsildar Mosam Khan and Patwaris Nisar Mohammad and Dilawar Khan.

Mr Sherpao has already been granted bail in the instant case by the Peshawar High Court.

Five of the co-accused — former provincial minister Habibullah Kundi, Haji Khatam Gul, Jam Sher and Juma Sher, and former land acquisition collector Syed Ayub Shah — have been absconding in the case.

They were earlier sentenced in absentia to three years rigorous imprisonment.