Senior Civil Judge Mehmood Haroon on Monday granted an additional four-day physical remand of the Prime Minister’s ex-media coordinator Khurram Rasool to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Rasool was arrested for his alleged involvement in a fraud of Rs71 million. Earlier, on January 26, the FIA registered a case against Rasool for cheque dishonour and fraud under sections 481 and 420, on the complaint of Sohail Rabbani. Rabbani had submitted in his complaint that Rasool had opened a fake account in the name of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). Rabbani had given Rasool Rs 71 million in exchange for a sugar quota. When Rasool failed to grant the Rabbani the quota, he issued a fake cheque for Rs 71 million to reimburse Rabbani.
The judge resumed the hearing of the case on Monday, after the FIA’s legal counsel Khalid Naeem submitted that due to the two-day government holiday, the counsel could not get the record of the dishonoured cheques from the bank concerned and needed more time to collect the necessary records. He requested the court to grant the FIA a seven-day physical remand of Rasool. The judge then granted a four-day physical remand. Talking to the media outside the courtroom, Rasool said he was ready to face the consequences if proven guilty.
