MUZAFFARABAD, May 30: The AJK Ehtesab Court No I here on Thursday exonerated four education department officials and a contractor from the embezzlement charges framed against them by the Ehtesab Bureau in a reference.

Director education (elementary) Sardar Khurshid Khan, executive engineer Sardar Mohammad Iqbal Khan, sub divisional engineer Tahir Hussain Shah and superintendent Mohammad Azim Khan of the education department’s building wing and contractor Mohammad Saeed Khan were booked under Azad Penal Code, Ehtesab Act and Anti-Corruption Act, for allegedly defrauding Rs1.358 million.

The amount was collected from the sale of tender deeds in the building wing of the education department. According to the prosecution, instead of depositing the amount in the government kitty, the accused had misused and embezzled it and therefore they deserved “harsh punishment.”

However, the court, comprising Judge Syed Nisar Hussain Shah, observed that prima facie the accused had not committed any crime.

He held that even if the “long procedure” of recording of the statements of the prosecution witnesses was initiated, none of the accused could be punished legally. Therefore, further hearing of the reference would be useless and wastage of time, he said and ordered to acquit the accused.

The accused were represented by senior lawyer, Mujahid Hussain Naqvi.