LAHORE, Oct 2: An accountability court indicted on Wednesday five accused on Rs1.43 billion corruption charges.

The accused are Punjab’s former chief secretary Javed Ahmad Qureshi, Lahore district council ex-chairman Chaudhry Zulfiqar, former MNA Haji Kabir, Lahore ZC officials Imtiaz Qadir and Shaukat Ali Maken.

All the accused pleaded not-guilty after which the court summoned prosecution witnesses for the next hearing.

Another former chairman of the Lahore ZC Chaudhry Shaukat Ali and contractor Abdul Qayyum have already been declared proclaimed offenders.

The chargesheet said that Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, in connivance with Imtiaz, Shaukat Ali and Abdul Qayyum, granted the contract for the collection of export tax for 1993-94 to Qayyum in violation of rules.

The contract was not awarded in an open auction. It was awarded at Rs80.35 million which did not bind the contractor to collect the enhanced amount of tax on nine items specified in the schedules.

It has been alleged that accused caused a loss of Rs297.50 million alone through this irregularity.

Javed Qureshi has been accused of misusing his authority with the active abetment of Chaudhry Zulfiqar and Haji Kabir Khan while granting financial benefit of Rs10 million to Abdul Qayyum in award of contract by lowering its rates.

It has been alleged that Haji Kabir used Qayyum as his henchman for getting the contract.

A loss of Rs650.22 million was caused to national exchequer and the total liability inclusive of 15 per cent mark up stood at Rs1.43 billion.