Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) order to de-freeze two accounts of private company operating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) frozen by the orders of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman on 4th April 2024, on Wednesday.
The company’s lawyers Barrister Qaim Wadud and Babar Khan Yousafzai advocate argued that the freezing of the accounts had caused significant financial difficulties for the company, which was struggling to pay its employees and vendors. They also pointed out that the BRT project was a joint venture between three companies, including the Beijing Singleton Technology and Beijing Haiyun Technology, and that NAB’s action had affected the entire project.
The accounts were frozen as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the BRT project while NAB had exceeded its powers and that there was no solid evidence against it, the lawyers argued.
The lawyers further argued that NAB had not provided any evidence against the company and that the investigation was still in its early stages. They requested the court to declare NAB’s action as unlawful and to unfreeze the accounts, allowing the company to continue its operations.
On the other hand, NAB’s prosecutors Azeem Dad and Muhammad Ali argued that the accounts were frozen as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption in the BRT project and that unfreezing them would affect the investigation. He also argued that the company’s request was equivalent to accepting the writ plea.
PHC’s divisional bench comprising of Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Waqar Ahmad ordered de-freezing of two accounts and allowing the company to continue its transactions. However, the court stopped the company from withdrawing the amount present in the accounts at the time of freezing, effectively keeping the amount frozen. PHC adjourned further hearing till 3rd July in the writ plea.
