Accountability Court (AC) has granted 14-day physical remand of former managing director (MD) of Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Tahir Basharat Cheema for alleged misuse of power and corruption, local media reported on Friday.
Cheema was apprehended on Thursday by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the provincial capital.
Investigation officer maintained during the court hearing today that the ex-MD resorted to graft and illegally recruited nearly 500 employees. He said that Cheema gave different contracts to private companies and earned millions of Rupees by unlawful means.
The accountability bureau requested the court to remand Cheema in department’s custody for interrogation. However, the criminal denied the allegations and stated that bureau’s stance did not have a hint of truth to it.
The department had stated that it would initiate action against ‘big fish’ in Punjab after Sindh. The bureau is pursuing two corruption references against former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain in Sindh.
Pepco’s former chief’s arrest is the biggest apprehension made by the accountability bureau in Punjab in the recent past.
Opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had demanded reforms in NAB. Responding to PTI, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had said last month that opposition parties need to come to the Parliament to have their demands met.
He said that there was a procedure for every change and amendment which should be respected.
In March, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly (NA) Khursheed Shah had said that Pakistan Muslim League-e-Nawaz (PML-N) is incensed over NAB s actions in Punjab.
Shah s statement had come in after the bureau had apprehended Orange Line Metro project’s contractor Aamir Latif which allegedly irked the Prime Minister. Kalson Private Limited, a company owned by the contractor is working on the Orange Line project launched by Punjab government.
