The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) authorities on Saturday appointed a new prosecutor to plead the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) land scam against Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Chaudhry Moonis Elahi and others in the court of the Lahore district and sessions judge.
The newly-appointed prosecutor on Saturday submitted his power of attorney on behalf of the FIA seeking adjournment in the hearing, as he had not gone through the NICL’s scam file. Judge Mujahid Mustaqeem, on request of newly-appointed prosecutor Chaudhry Aslam adjourned the hearing until October 12. Earlier, counsels of accused Malik Amjad Pervaiz and Rai Bashir argued on an application filed by the accused seeking acquittal of Moonis in the scam.
The defence counsels argued that there was not a single evidence in the record of the FIA and there client was being victimised only on political grounds. When the court sought answer from the FIA prosecutor over the point raised by the defence counsels, Aslam said that he has been recently appointed as prosecutor and he had not gone through the NICL’s scam file and might be given sometime to read the file and argue on the said point.
FIA had started investigations against Moonis that he had opened bogus accounts in the name of his manager Abdul Malik and his wife for sake of corruption in NICL. Later, FIA lodged two FIRs against him alleging that his manger Muhammad Maalik opened forged accounts in Allied Bank Limited New Airport and Dubai Islamic Bank Main Boulevard branches.
Another accused Mohsin Warriach deposited Rs 320 million and 220 million in first account and 100 million in second account.
The First FIR was registered on December 27, 2010 while second was lodged on January 27. FIA alleged that the money was actually taken by Moonis.
