An accountability court on Wednesday acquitted former PML–N MNA Suhail Zia Butt in a reference filed against him under Section 31/A of the NAB Ordinance, in which he was sentenced to three years in prison.
The court acquitted Butt while accepting his application filed under Section 265-K Cr PC, submitting that his statement under Section 161 was never recorded and only on the basis of the record available in the court, he could not be punished, thus the court may acquit him from the references filed against him by National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
On the other hand, the court rejected Butt’s another application seeking acquittal from a reference of embezzlement of Rs 2 million of National Industrial Co-operative Finance Corporation (NICFC). NAB initiated investigations against Butt in 2000 over the embezzled of Rs 2 million, which he received from NICFC to vacate Ahmad Mension, a property owned by NICFC, from illegal occupants. During the investigations, Butt fled from the country. NAB, in his absence, filed a reference in the accountability court under section 31/A of NAB Ordinance requesting the court to declare Butt absconder. The court, in June 2001, awarded Butt three-year imprisonment while issuing his perpetual warrant of arrest.
After Butt was convicted, NAB completed the investigations and filed reference against Butt in the accountability court on the charges of embezzlement of Rs 2 million. Butt came back to Pakistan in 2010 and was arrested by NAB in August. Butt filed an application in Lahore High Court, upon which the court, while granting bail, suspended Butt’s conviction and directed him to face the reference filed against him in the accountability court.
During the hearing, Butt submitted two separate applications for his acquittal from the references filed against him. The court after hearing the arguments from both sides acquitted Butt from the reference filed against him under section 31/A of NAB Ordinance, while the court rejected his application for acquittal from the reference of embezzlement of Rs 2 million. The court adjourned the hearing of reference of embezzlement until June 6.
The need is to educate people in such a in which they have faith in themselves and don’t feel any greed of some very attractive offers so that we can expect a country is going in a right direction.
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