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Published 23 Oct, 2001 12:00am

ISLAMABAD: Former naval chief indicted in $3.369m kickbacks case

ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: An accountability court on Monday indicted former naval chief Admiral Mansurul Haq for receiving commissions and kickbacks worth $3.369 million in defence deals.

Admiral Haq, however, pleading not guilty, submitted another application before the court with an offer to pay back the entire corruption money.

Aitzaz Ahsan advocate, the counsel for the accused, requested the court to direct the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to receive the kickback money.

The Accountability Court No I judge Rustum Ali Malik directed the prosecution to seek further instructions from the NAB chairman, since the application has been filed directly in the court.

The counsel, however, prayed the court to accept the plea-bargain application as after the amendment in the NAB ordinance 1999, the court had been empowered to decide the settlement requests.

An earlier request for plea-bargain was rejected by the NAB chairman.

Admiral Haq, who had volunteered to come back from USA on May 24 has been kept in Sihala Rest house which has been declared sub-jail.

The charges said that the accused as the naval chief in 1994 received kickbacks and commission from the foreign firms for supply of submarines, arms, ammunition and other defence material to the Pakistan navy.

The accused did so in collusion, collaboration and in connivance with an absconding co-accused Amir Lodhi, who had already been declared by the same court as proclaimed offender.

As such, the court charged him for committing corruption and indulging in corrupt practices as defined under section 9 of the NAB ordinance, an offence punishable under section 10 of the NAB ordinance and cognizance of the court.

The NAB is also investigating another corruption reference against the accused in the shipping deals.

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