Plea bargain in process in Hamesh case, court told

AN accountability court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing by January 9 of the case against Hamesh Khan, Sheikh Afzal and Seth Nisar in Bank of Punjab (BoP) Rs 9 billion scam.

The court adjourned the hearing as an application was moved by accused Sheikh Afzal that a plea bargain deal was in process with NAB.

On September 27, 2007, NAB Punjab filed a reference in an accountability court against 12 people, six officials of Bank of Punjab and six others, for Rs 9 billion alleged fraud.

The investigation showed that accused Shaikh Muhammad Afzal, director of the Haris Steel, with co-accused Muhammad Munir, Ali Ijaz, Abid Raza and Irfan Ali with the connivance of BoP

ex-President Hamesh Khan, Haroon Aziz, Azizul Hameed, Muhammad Shoaib Qureshi, BoP ex-general managers Muhammad Adil Khan, Muhammad Nauman

Arif and Muhammad Ziaul Haq allegedly opened 23 fictitious accounts by their fake and forged national identity cards and obtained loans of

approximately Rs 9 billion from 2005 to 2007 with the help of fake documentation, bogus collaterals, fictitious guarantees and mortgage deals executed by fake persons.

In this reference, NAB accused Hamesh of misuse of power and sanctioning illegal loans worth Rs 9

billion. While Seth Nisar is accused of committing willful default on Rs 930 million he borrowed from BoP.

Article 62: A writ has been moved in the Lahore High Court for strict enforcement of Article 62 of the Constitution to stop the way of corrupt persons from becoming members of parliament.

Petition has been moved by Lawyers Foundation for Justice and Democracy through counsel AK Dogar.

The petitioner said persons of good conduct and having good moral character should only be allowed to participate in general election. He stated that the article 62 of the Constitutional had laid down the principle for the candidates and it should be strictly followed in case of nomination of a candidate.

He stated under the Constitution every one could not be allowed to contest the general election. He said the selection of candidates according to the constitution will also help in improving the system and saving the national exchequer. He sought direction to implement the article 62 in selection of candidates of good moral character for general election.

24,568 cases: The district judiciary in Punjab has decided 24,568 old cases in a year time and reduced the backlog of old cases to 29,554.

According to a handout issued by LHC here on Tuesday, the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) had in November last given the target to the district judiciary to dispose of the 54,112 old cases filed up to 2008 and formed a monitoring cell in the Lahore High Court under the supervision of District and Sessions Judge Hafeezullah Khan. The pendency had been reduced to 29,554 from 54,112 till January 07.

District judiciary is determined to disposing of remaining 29,554 old cases by the end of February in views of the fresh directions issued by (NJPMC), hand out said.

The handout said that district judiciary had decided 9,182 oldest cases in November, 12,639 in December, the progress appreciating as compared to the first ten months of last year.

Posted in: Lahore