Senior Civil Judge Mehmood Haroon on Friday granted three-day physical remand of the prime minister’s ex-media adviser, Khurram Rasool, to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for his alleged involvement in a fraud of Rs 71 million.
The PM’s ex-media adviser was produced before the court with handcuffs in a case registered against him under sections 481 and 420 by the FIA on the complaint of one Sohail Rabbani. According to the complaint, Khurram Rasool had opened a fake account and Rabbani had given him Rs 71 million for getting sugar quota, but he could not manage it and gave him a fake cheque of Rs 71 million. However, Khurram Rasool contended before the court that the FIA had registered a false case against him.
During hearing of the case, the judge expressed his anger when the FIA prosecutor told him that they had not verified the dishonored cheques from the bank concerned. “You have presented a long charge sheet but have not provided enough evidence against him,” the judge asked the prosecutor. The prosecutor said: “We want to probe allegations mentioned in the FIR.” He added the FIA would get all the record of the said case within a short span of time. The judge asked him why they had come to the court without record. The judge also asked the FIA why they had registered a case against the accused merely on a complaint and without collecting record of allegations.
The judge issued a show-cause notice to the FIA prosecutor for arresting Khurram Rasool in the absence of evidences and sought his immediate reply. The FIA prosecutor submitted his reply and sought seven-day physical remand of Kurram, but the court granted three-day remand and directed the FIA to produce him on Monday. Later, talking to reporters outside the courtroom, Khurram said he had been a businessman since 1990 and had committed no fraud.
