Tag: corruption case

  • Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    A special court in Rawalpindi granted post-arrest bail to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday in a corruption case.

    The court announced its decision to release the former minister, ordering him to submit a surety bond of Rs200,000.

    Fawad Chaudhry was arrested in November, in a case pertaining to a Rs5 million bribe paid by a citizen in August 2022.

    Following the extension of his physical remand, he was subsequently placed on judicial remand and is currently incarcerated at the Adiala jail.

    While speaking with reporters outside the court, Fawad’s brother, Faisal Chaudhry, said that the ex-minister will take part in the upcoming polls, which are set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    He also said that it has not been decided yet on what party ticket Fawad will contest the election.

    “This decision will come as a surprise,” Faisal said.

    Faisal Chaudhry also said that the conflict between him and his sister-in-law, Hiba Fawad, is a family matter.

    “Hiba is my elder sister. [We] will resolve the domestic matter at home,” he stated.

  • Raid pe raid: Police reach Elahi’s Gujrat residence to find him

    Raid pe raid: Police reach Elahi’s Gujrat residence to find him

    Former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi’s residence in Gujrat was searched thoroughly by the Punjab police and anti-corruption officials in the late hours of Monday.

    Pervaiz’s son Moonis Elahi alleged that although the police did not have a search warrant to conduct the raid, he allowed them access to the premises.

    According to media reports, police forcefully entered the premises when their knocking at the doors went unanswered.

    After the episode, Elahi moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to prevent his arrest, however, the court rejected his plea.

    Prior to this, on Friday, the same officials’ squad used an armoured vehicle to break down the main gate of Elahi’s Gulberg residence in Lahore and entered the house.

    Officials are trying to arrest Elahi in a corruption case, however, according to his lawyers, pre-arrest bail has already been taken from a court until May 6 in the particular case.

  • Anti-corruption team couldn’t arrest Rana Sanaullah, say ‘police didn’t co-operate’

    Anti-corruption team couldn’t arrest Rana Sanaullah, say ‘police didn’t co-operate’

    A team from Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) was unable to arrest Federal Interior Minister, Rana Sanaullah, on Monday due to the non-cooperation of the Islamabad police.

    The establishment’s director Syed Anwar Ali Shah alleged that the capital’s police officers misbehaved with them.

    Earlier today, a local court in Rawalpindi directed the ACE team to arrest the minister and present him before the court in a case relating to corruption.

    “The police officials neither recorded entry nor departure of the ACE team and nor did they comply with the court’s order,” Shah said.

    He stated that his department will inform the court about the day’s events and will devise a strategy as per the court’s orders.

    Prior to this, a local court in Rawalpindi, dismissed ACE’s plea seeking contempt of court proceedings against Sanaullah for not appearing in a corruption inquiry.

    On Saturday, a judicial magistrate issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for the federal minister over his non-appearance in an anti-corruption inquiry.

  • Umar Akmal reportedly unable to pay fine in fixing case

    Umar Akmal has reportedly been unable to pay the fine imposed on him by the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in a spot-fixing case last month, Jang has reported.

    According to the publication, the 30-year-old’s rehab program is pending due to non-payment of the fine.

    Last month, the CAS had reduced Akmal’s ban from 18 months to 12 months but had imposed a fine of Rs 4.25 million for his involvement in the corruption scandal.

    Akmal was suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in February 2020 for not reporting fixing approaches made by corrupt elements.

    While Akmal had already served his one-year sentence on February 20, he is unable to start the rehabilitation program of PCB’s Security and Anti-Corruption Department due to the heavy monetary penalty.

    The batsman has, therefore, requested the board to allow him to pay the amount in installments.

    According to the publication, in response to Akmal’s requests, the PCB had demanded the batsman to provide proof of his inability to pay the lump sum fine.

  • After two years, ex-LDA chief Ahad Cheema gets bail in NAB case

    After two years, ex-LDA chief Ahad Cheema gets bail in NAB case

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) chairman Ahad Cheema in an alleged corruption case.

    Cheema, who was a close aide of former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, was detained in Feb 2018 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Ashiana Housing scam. However, the accountability bureau also opened another inquiry against him for possessing assets beyond means.

    During the hearing, the apex court directed the former top civil servant to furnish surety bonds worth Rs1 million to secure the bail. The NAB lawyer opposed the bail plea, saying Cheema was a key accused in the case.

    At this, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood asked whether the accused doesn’t deserve bail due to the delay in the case.

    Cheema’s lawyer responded that his client has been in jail for two years and nine months. Bail is granted in case of undue delay, he added.

    Earlier this year, the Lahore High Court had dismissed a bail plea filed by Cheema, even though the co-accused in the case were granted post-arrest bail. Subsequently, ex-LDA chief’s counsel Azam Nazir Tarrar moved the apex court, seeking bail.

    ARREST OF FOMRER LDA CHIEF:

    In Feb 2018, NAB arrested Cheema after the latter failed to show up on NAB hearings. At the time, NAB had stated that that the inquiry conducted by the bureau “produced sufficient evidence to prove LDA ex-DG’s involvement in the Ahsiana scam”.

    In its official press release issued at the time, it said that the Punjab Land Development Company assigned the Ashiana Housing Scheme project to LDA, where Cheema as its DG misused his authority and received illegal gratification in the form of 32 kanals of land, valuing approximately Rs30 million from the owners of Paragon City. The accused also awarded the contract for the project to Lahore Casa Developers, that was ineligible for the contract.

    It may be noted here ex-CM Shehbaz Sharif and former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad were also accused in Ashiana case.

  • NAB summons Khurshid Shah’s brother who passed away eight years ago

    NAB summons Khurshid Shah’s brother who passed away eight years ago

    Probing an assets beyond known sources of income case, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has issued a summon order to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khurshid Ahmed Shah’s brother who passed away eight years ago, ARY News reported.

    According to reports, NAB has summoned the deceased to appear before investigators on March 3.

    The development comes days after former leader of opposition Shah also appeared before an accountability court in Sukkur in an assets beyond means case against him on February 18.

    Shah, Provincial Minister Awais Qadir and PPP lawmaker Farrukh Shah are among the 18 accused facing graft charges in a reference filed by the anti-corruption watchdog.

    17 of the accused, including the ailing former Opp leader who was brought in an ambulance from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), were present during the court hearing held two weeks ago.

    Later, accountability court judge Ameer Ali Mahesar adjourned the hearing until March 9.

    NAB has also nominated two wives, two sons and a son-in-law of Shah in the reference.