Court vacates’ contractors bail pleas in BRT scam

Humayun Khan

PESHAWAR: Accountability Court Peshawar Judge Safi Ullah Jan has vacated interim bails of two contractor-brothers allegedly involved in embezzlement in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, on Monday.

Special Prosecutor National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rooh Ullah Jan informed that Amir Lateef and Imran Lateef had made practices in the BRT project while the bureau has initiated an inquiry against them in this regard.

The petitioners approached for interim bail while honorable court accepted their plea on 21st June 2023 and stopped NAB from their arrest as well as directed to appear in the inquiry. The applicants also obtained relief from Peshawar High Court, stopping their arrest till 25th September.

However, NAB special prosecutor Rooh Ullah opposed their plea and argued for vacating the interim relief while Accountability Court has turndown bail plea.

PHC transfers PTI’s members cases to Mingora bench: PHC has transferred former MPA Fazal Hakeem and City Mayor Shahid Ali interim bail pleas to Mingora bench for hearing, on Monday. The counsel Muhammad Inam Khan advocate argued that First Information Report was registered against petitioners for holding rally on 14th August in accordance with Independence Day celebration.

Additional Advocate General Danyal Asad Chamkani argued that section-144 was imposed on 14th August and holding of gathering and rallies were banned. PHC has stopped arrest of former MPA Fazal Hakeem and City Mayor Shahid Ali till 6th September while ordered to appear before Mingora Bench on next hearing.

Similarly, PHC has adjourned hearing due to unavailability of record in former Advisor Abdul Kareem plea seeking to obtain his two mobiles from Anti-corruption custody.

The counsel Shah Faisal Ottomankhel advocate argued that Anti-corruption has took vehicle and two mobiles from former Advisor into their custody while the car has returned but the cell phone wasn’t returned to the petitioner. However, PHC has ordered Anti-corruption to produce records regarding cell phones on the next hearing on the next date to be fixed.