KARACHI, May 19: An accountability court on Thursday recorded the testimony of an investigation officer in a corruption reference.

Ajmal Mehmoodi, Ghousia Mehmoodi, Mohammad Younus, Abdul Jabbar, Mohammad Sultan, Mir Ashfaq, Fareeda Begum, Samina Farooq and nine others of the Alliance Motors and T.J. Ibrahim Company have been charged with cheating the public at large.

Investigation officer G.A. Jatoi appeared before the judge of the accountability court-II, Syed Kausar Ali Bukhari, and deposed that the investigation of this reference was assigned to him, adding that he conducted the investigations, collected evidence, recorded the statements of witnesses under Section 161 of the criminal procedure code and submitted an investigation report to the National Accountability Bureau.

Following the completion of his statement, the court adjourned the hearing till May 28 for cross-examination.

The prosecution has examined around 40 witnesses in the reference.

According to the reference filed by the NAB (Sindh), the company had lured investment to the tune of billion of rupees from around 50,000 depositors and investors by inducing them to get attractive profits in the hope that their business was established. The collected amount was distributed to relatives and close friends of the accused.

It is worth mentioning here that some of the directors and partners of the company have already been convicted in the reference.