- SC allows DHA to withdraw Rs 420 million from seized account in EOBI scam for employees’ salaries
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday allowed the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to withdraw Rs 420 million from the seized account for payment of employees’ salaries and utility bills.
As the three-member SC bench, headed by Justice Saqib Nisar, resumed hearing of the case pertaining to multibillion corruption scam in Employees Old-Age Benefit Institute (EOBI), the court directed the DHA to submit a bank guarantee for permanent revival of Rs 6 billion seized in the account.
During the course of proceedings, the EOBI chairman informed the court that the Board of Trustees had decided to return the purchased properties to their original owners after receiving the amount with interest.
Justice Nisar termed it a good omen and directed the counsels of different parties to discuss the matter with their clients. He said that if a party wanted to get the property back, the court would facilitate it and would also issue directives to withdraw the cases registered. He remarked that the case registered against EOBI employees would be decided by the concerned courts.
Justice Nisar observed that if the concerned parties failed to reach a consensus then the court would issue proper directives in this regard and could also form a judicial commission to investigate the corruption cases.
The EOBI chairman informed the court that the institute will receive 9.5 percent interest with expenditure after returning the purchased properties.
The counsel for DHA informed the court that DHA was ready to get the properties back to save its market reputation. He said that DHA sold properties worth Rs 22 billion and it did not agree the EOBI decision to get back the properties to their original owners. He pleaded the court to reopen the seized DHA accounts so that the authority can pay utility bills and salaries of the employees.
The court accepted the DHA counsel plea and ordered to release amounts and adjourned hearing for two weeks.
