Nawaz a victim of political vendetta in plots' allotment case, observes accountability court
Pakistan
The judge observed that the former government forced NAB to destroy the future of Nawaz Sharif
LAHORE (Dunya News) – An accountability court has declared that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been a victim of political vendetta in the plots' allotment case.
The court on Thursday issued detailed judgement of the reference which was announced on June 24 about alleged illegal allotment of plots in 1986 to the owner of a media house.
Judge Rao Abdul Jabbar issued the order on applications filed by Yousaf Abbas, a nephew of Nawaz Sharif, and others challenging the auction of the properties supposedly owned by the former premier. They claimed ownership of the assets ordered to be auctioned by the court after the former premier was declared a proclaimed offender for his constant absence in the trial proceedings.
The judge observed that the former government forced the NAB to destroy the future of Nawaz Sharif. He ordered that Nawaz Sharif should get the relief given to the main accused.
The court ordered the NAB and the Board of Revenue to unfreeze the assets of Nawaz Sharif and his shareholders.
THE CASE
The applicants who objected to the auction said the assets had been transferred to them being lawful legal heirs of the owners.
Their counsel Qazi Misbahul Hassan argued before the court that the principal accused (the media owner) and two former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) officers had already been acquitted in the reference of 37-year-old ‘illegal’ land allotment.
He said the acquittal of the principal accused proved that no offence was committed. Therefore, keeping the proceedings pending against any other accused, including a proclaimed offender, after the acquittal of the prime accused would be of no use.
The judge admitted the arguments of the counsel and acquitted Nawaz Sharif in the reference.
It may be noted that a trial court had acquitted a media house owner, former LDA director general Humayon Faiz Rasool and its former director of land development department Mian Bashir Ahmad on Jan 31, 2022.
The NAB had alleged that the media owner illegally obtained exemption of 54 plots, each measuring one kanal, situated in Johar Town’s Block-H. It said the land had been allotted in connivance with then chief minister Nawaz Sharif against the exemption policy and the laws for monetary gains. It alleged the accused caused a loss of Rs143.53 million to the national exchequer through the allotment in violation of exemption policy.
Acquitting the principal accused, the court in its decision observed that the media owner got plots in 1986 and the LDA, as per the prosecution, pronounced a policy of requiring payment of excess plots at the market price in 1990. The court ruled that the policy had no retrospective effect and was applicable for future cases.
The court concluded that no loss was caused to the LDA from any act of the accused or his co-accused persons as the prosecution admitted that the reserved price was paid in time.
