LAHORE – Like other courts throughout the country, Lahore accountability courts are also getting over-burdened by cases including new and old under-trial references, as the backlog in five accountability courts has increased to 234 references compared to 216 on January 1, 2010.
Accountability courts disposed of 25 references in 2010 while only 42 new references were filed last year. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab filed 42 new references against more than 50 accused including former prisons DIG Afzal Gujjar, former district and sessions judge Chaudhry Liaqat Ali and former Punjab assistant advocate general Seema Munawar.
In 2010, five accountability courts working in Lahore, convicted 25 accused after concluding trial of 12 references and acquitted more than 16 accused including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Senator Jahangir Badar. NAB Prosecution Wing could not prove even a single raid case in courts, resulting in release of the accused.
According to the details, the NAB Punjab filed 42 new references in accountability courts in 2010 against Muhammad Afzal Gujjar, former DIG Prisons for making assets beyond means, Chaudhry Liaqat Ali, former district and sessions judge for making assets beyond means, former Punjab assistant advocate general Seema Munawar for illegally withdrawing family pension, Malik Muhammad Akram, Khalid Rehman, former chairman and others directors of the Muslim Industrial Cooperative Corporation Limited (MICCL), Tariq Saeed, Irfan Elahi Johri and others involved in a cooperative scam in the Intra-Business Corporation Private Limited, Mirza Abid Hussain Baig and Major (r) Zulfiqar Ali and others involved in a cooperative scam, Qazi Khalid Mehmood, Abdul Majeed for making assets beyond means, Safdar Hussain for misusing authority and corruption, Muhammad Sultan alias Sheikh Sanatha and others for cheating public at large, Faiz Rasool, Patwari Safdarabad Nankana Sahib for misusing authority and corruption, Muhammad Ibrahim Patwari for misusing authority), Muhammad Hussain and others for fraud and embezzling Bait-ul-Maal funds, Tahir Javed for defaulting on a bank loan.
Sajjad Ahmed Bhatti for misappropriation, Mahmooduz Zafar and others for cheating the public at large, Hamid Ali for misappropriation and embezzlement of funds, Shafqat Shabbir for misappropriation of funds, Malik Ahmed Hasan and others for misusing authority, Tariq Masood for involvement in official employees Co-operative Housing Society cooperative scam), Shahid Mehmood for cheating the public at large, Parveen Ghauri for misappropriation of funds, Kamran Mehdi of Mehdi International Forex Company for cheating public at large, Shoukat Hussain Shah and others for embezzlement in PASSCO, Dilawar Hussain for involvement in co-operative scam, Muhammad Subtain Gardezi for embezzlement in the National Saving Centre, Muhammad Saleem for misusing authority, Amaanullah and Irfan Khalil for misusing authority), Irvah Hussain Shah for misusing authority, Majid Naeem for misusing authority), Ghulam Nabi for making assets beyond means, Naimatullah Sajid and others for cheating the public at large, Ghulam Rasool Javaid for making assets beyond means in Pakistan Railways, Muhammad Ghafaar and Haji Allah Ditta for misusing authority, Muhammad Arshad Butt of M/s Empire Phones for illegally taking advantages, Habeebur Rehman for misuse authority and misappropriation of funds, Muhammad Shafi and Javaid Iqbal for involvement in bank fraud at M/s Khalid Oil Mills and Muhammad Altaf Khan for involvement in a fraud in UBL.
Accountability courts during the last year convicted Muhammad Saeed in a Post Office fraud case (5 years with a fine of Rs 50,000), Muzzaffar Iqbal Cheema for bank fraud (11 years and a fine of Rs 0.1 million) and Ashraf Mahmood Bajwa (7 years and a fine of Rs 0.1 million), Muzzammil Hafiz Butt for bank fraud (14 years and a fine of Rs 130 million), Talib Hussain, whose case was transferred from a banking court, (7 years and a fine of Rs 2.7 million) and Tariq Yaseen (7 years and a fine of Rs 0.3 million), Liaqat Ali for misuse authority (5 years and a fine of Rs 8 million, Anwaar Asghar Syed (NASCCL-co-operative scam for 7 years and a fine of Rs 2 million), Amjad Hussain Sandhal an others for involvement in PARCO DG Khan scam, (7 years and a fine of Rs 6.6 million), Sadiq Muhammad (5 years and a fine of Rs 0.8 million) and Pir Bukhsh (3 years and a fine of Rs 0.5 million), Ahmed Ali Khosa (ZTBL DG Khan fraud, 7 years and a fine of Rs 32 million), Khalid Muhammad (4 years and a fine of Rs 14 million, Ghulam Mujtaba (3 years and a fine of Rs 7.8 million and Azeem Mazari (3 years and a fine of Rs 4.7 million), Amjad Hussain Sandhal and others for involvement in PARCO-Faisalabad scam (10 years and a fine of Rs 43 million), Zahid Hussain Shah (4 years and a fine of Rs 3.1 million) and Muhammad Haneef (5 years and a fine of Rs 4.4 million), Abdul Rauf for embezzlement, (5 years and a fine of Rs 2.2 million), Amjad Hussain Sandhal and others for involvement in PARCO-Muzzaffargarh scam, (14 years and a fine of Rs 192 million), Sadiq Muhammad (5 years and a fine of Rs 0.2 million), Molvi Bashir Ahmed (3 years and a fine of Rs 0.1 million), Tariq Murtaza Malhi for involvement in bank fraud (10 years and a fine of Rs 161 million), Liaqat Ali for misuse of authority, (5 years and a fine of Rs 8 million) and Anwaar Asghar Syed for involvement in the NASCCL scam, (7 years and a fine of Rs 20 million).
During the same period, accountability courts acquitted Safdar Malik accused of involvement in bank fraud), Chaudhry Abdul Majeed and others for involvement in co-operative scam, Muhammad Afzal for involvement in trap raid case), Malik Abdul Lateef (SCCCL Co-op Scam), Qazi Afzaal Hussain (Misappropriation), Hamad Riaz and Irshad Ahmed (NICFC Coop Scam), Nayyar Bari (NRO acquitted u/s 265-K, Cr. P.C), Malik Ashiq Dumra (Assets beyond means), Muhammad Liaqat (Trap Raid- Illegal Gratification), Ghulam Mustafa (PARCO-Faisalabad), Jahangir Badar (NRO Case, Illegal Assets), Jahangir Badar (NRO Case, illegal appointments), Zubair Mirza (Assets beyond Means) and Sumaira Sandhal (PARCO-Muzaffargarh). Muhammad Irfan accused of cheating public at large was the only accused who got released after entering an agreement of plea bargain with NAB in 2010. Accountability court quashed the NRO reference against Chaudhry Siddique due to his death.
Accountability courts are over-burdened
