LAHORE, July 24: The Lahore High Court on Thursday commuted the 14-year rigorous imprisonment of former PASSCO secretary, Maj Nawaz Malik (retired), to five years.

The former secretary had also been fined Rs2.4 million by an accountability court last year on charges of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. He was also accused of getting himself appointed in PASSCO by concealing the fact that he had been dismissed from the army. He had challenged the verdict in the LHC.

The division bench, comprising Justice Ali Nawaz Chauhan and Rustam Ali Malik, upheld the trial court verdict, ruling that though the court had been fully convinced by the NAB evidence against the accused, it felt that the petitioner deserved a commutation on technical grounds.

The court further reduced the fine to Rs1.6 million besides withholding the trial court order regarding confiscation of a plot owned by the petitioner in PASSCO Employees Cooperative Housing Society.

However, the bench upheld trial court’s orders for confiscation of a bungalow along with two plots of one kanal each at the Murree Brewery Scheme as well as Defence Saving Certificates worth Rs1.6 million, allegedly owned by the petitioner in the name of his dependents.

The appellate court also gave the benefit of Section 382-B of the CrPC to the accused under which the total period served by him in jail since his arrest would be adjusted against the five-year jail term. The trial court had refused to give this benefit to him.

The petitioner was alleged to have acquired four plots of one kanal each and one of two kanals at the PECHS, a 7.5-marla plot at the Canal Park in Lahore, three plots of one kanal each at the Murree Brewery Scheme, in his own name and in the name of his dependents.

The bench ordered that in case the petitioner failed to pay the fine, it should be recovered from the sale of Defence Saving Certificates.— Reporter