KARACHI, Dec 10: An accountability court sentenced on Monday a general manager of the Pakistan Steel Mills to seven years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs10 million for causing huge losses to the national exchequer.
Judge Rahmat Husain Jafferi of the AC-3, who is also the administrative judge of all the ACs in Karachi, also ordered that Qaiser Raza would have to undergo an additional 30 months’ imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.
Former chairman of the Pakistan Steel, Dr Mohammed Usman Farooqui, his wife Aneesa Farooqui and their daughter Sharmila Farooqui were earlier ordered to be released in this reference after the approval of his plea for bargaining. The Farooquis surrendered assets of more than Rs330 million, acquired through illegal means.
The case pertained to the purchase of “iron slabs” and “pig iron” at exorbitant prices for the PSM in 1996, and it caused a loss of more than Rs1.3 billion to the national exchequer.
The judge, however, acquitted deputy GM Syed Iqtidar Rasool of the charges for want of incriminating evidence.
The accused were charged with purchasing 150,000 metric tons of slabs at the rate of 304.90 US dollars a metric ton and 100,000 metric ton pig iron at the rate of 199.5 US dollars a metric ton, while the market prices of the items at the time were 190 and 148 US dollars, respectively.
The dubious deal was struck through the local representative of the Cyprus- based suppliers, Mahboob and Sons, owned by Mahmoodul Hasan, who had been declared an absconding accused in the case. According to the investigators, an amount of more than 22.385m US dollars or more than Rs1.3bn was devoured by the accused in this deal.
BRIGADIER CONVICTED: The Federal Anti-corruption Court, headed by Judge Muneer Ahmed Khawaja, convicted Brig Mohammed Afzal (retd), a former director of the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), in a corruption reference.
The judge sentenced the retired brigadier to stay in the docks till the rising of the court. The judge also fined him Rs150,000, and ordered that the convict would have to undergo two years’ imprisonment in case of default on the payment of fine.
The former OEC director was prosecuted for charging Rs500 each illegally from some 600 intending jobseekers in 1984.
The judge, however, acquitted the former deputy director, Col Mohammed Ayub (retd), of the charges as the prosecution could not produce its case against him.
ACQUITTED: An additional district and sessions judge, Salim Jan Khan, acquitted four workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a case.
The workers, Mohammed Farooq alias Palla Machchi Wala, Shahid alias Huqqa, Mohammed Akbar and Ijaz Chhotoo, were prosecuted for setting a telephone cable unit on fire in Orangi Town on October 16, 1995.
The judge ordered the acquittal on an application filed under section 265-K of CrPC.
SENTENCED: A district and sessions judge, Agha Rafique Ahmed, sentenced a house robber to seven years’ imprisonment.
Accused Shafique Masih, tried for committing robbery in the house of Khalid Ali in Mithadar police limits on October 10 last year, was also fined Rs50,000. He would undergo an additional six months’ imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.