LAHORE, Dec 20: An ehtasab bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday acquitted former chief minister Manzoor Wattoo of the charge of misuse of the authority. The bench also accepted the appeal of Seema Naeem of Gulshan-i-Ravi, the co-accused in the reference.

Mr Wattoo was accused of allotment of a piece of land to Ms Seema for setting up a gasoline station on Ferozepur Road near Ichhra. The court found that neither Mr Wattoo nor had Ms Seema secured any material benefit from the allotment of the Nuzool land, measuring about 25 marlas. Similarly, the decision of allotment was reversed by the successor government and the land was retrieved to the Punjab government which eventually did not suffer any material loss.

An accountability court sentenced Mr Wattoo on April 4, 2000, to 20 months in prison with Rs1 million fine in addition to disqualification from contesting election for 10 years in the reference filed in Feb 1997.

The conviction was suspended by the ehtasab bench on the appeal filed soon after the announcement of verdict. Mr Wattoo was also released on bail. — Correspondent