RAWALPINDI – The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday arrested former Religious Affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi for his alleged involvement in the Hajj corruption scam after a central court cancelled his bail plea.
Kazmi was sacked by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for his alleged involvement in the scam of billions of rupees. After his sacking, a civil court issued his arrest warrant but he sought an interim bail. However, Special Central Judge Sohail Nasir on Tuesday cancelled his bail plea after he failed to prove his innocence.
Kazmi was taken to an FIA lock up in Iqbal town. FIA prosecutor Khalid Naeem told the court that Kazmi had deliberately withheld information from the FIA team about his bank accounts and assets. He informed the court that frequent transactions of foreign and local currency worth millions of rupees occurred in Kazmi’s accounts in two different banks in Multan.
Naeem said Kazmi had 344 kanals of land in Rahim Yar Khan in two different locations. Kazmi had told the court that the land was gifted to him by his disciples. Kazmi’s counsel, Khurram Latif Khosa, said the FIR registered by the FIA regarding the Hajj scam did not have Kazmi’s name.
“The FIA has so far failed to prove the allegations level against Kazmi,” he said. Khosa told the court that being a minister, Kazmi had not gained any benefits and the allegations of corruption against him were unjustified.
He said that former minister Azam Swati, who had leveled allegation against Kazmi, did not produce any tangible evidence in the Supreme Court.
