LAHORE, March 14: A local accountability court on Tuesday dismissed an application through which former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo had pleaded for his acquittal in a reference which charged him with misappropriation of funds from the provincial Baitul Maal.

The court did not agree to Mr Wattoo’s plea that the reference was filed against him under the accountability law promulgated in 1997 and according to that law an accused was entitled to acquittal on payment of the amount allegedly embezzled.

Also a central vice-president of the ruling PML, Mr Wattoo stated that he had refunded to the Punjab Baitul Maal an amount of about Rs10 million and subsequent to that he was entitled to be freed.

The court observed that the former CM was given trial under the existing accountability law and had also opted for trial when given the choice of either opting for plea bargaining or face the trial.

As such, he could not be given the benefit of the previous law particularly after having opted for trial.

Mr Wattoo was convicted in the reference about a year ago. Two other PML leaders, Malik Haider Usman and S M Bashir, were also convicted as co-accused. They moved the LHC challenging the accountability court’s decision. The high court remanded the case to the same court for retrial.

When the accountability court gave them the option of either entering into the NAB with plea bargaining or face trial, Mr Wattoo opted for trial while the other two chose plea bargaining which weakened the case of Mr Wattoo. The former chief minister is on bail these days.