PESHAWAR: A bench of the Peshawar High Court on Monday turned down the bail plea of a former industries secretary in a case of the misuse of authority and corruption.

JusticeIrshad Qaisarand Justice Syed Afsar Shah pronouncedashortorderto dismiss Sajid Khan Jadoon`s petition seeking release on bail.

The petitioner, who is also the president of PCS (Provincial Civil Service) Officer Association, was arrested by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission lately on charges of misusing authority and committing corrupt practices.

He alleged that he had been victimised for recommending reduction in the powers of the commission`s director general as being a member of a cabinet committee set up to reform the KPEC Act 2014.

The petitioner also questioned a notification issued by the provincial government on Sept 16, 2015, to set up the KPEC insisting prior to the issuance of the notification, which was mandatory under the law, all arrests made by the Ehtesab Commission as well as its proceedings were illegal.

His lawyer had produced the written recommendations made by him (petitioner) to the KPEC Act reforms committee headed by senior minister Inayatullah Khan.

The petitioner had questioned the `unbridled` powers given to the KPEC director general and the `insignificant` role given to the commission.

The KPEC had arrested the petitioner on Aug 26insisting he was involved in misappropriation of funds and had committed illegalities in purchase of weapons, wireless sets, bulletproof jackets and other goods as the secretary of excise and taxation department.

It also claimed the petitioner was involved in illegal retention of vehicles conñscated by the excise and taxation department against the prescribed rules and allotments of such vehicles to the people of his choice by misusing authority with mala fide intentions.

The petitioner`s lawyer had argued that his client`s arrest was based on mala fide intentions and that he was implicated in a concocted case.

He said the petitioner was a BPS-20 officer and a member of high-level committee formed by the provincial cabinet to reform the KPEC Act 2014.

The lawyer had said his client had recommended that the powers of the Ehtesab Commission be increased as currently, the Ehtesab Commission consisting of commissioners appointed after through scrutiny had no noteworthy role in ordering the arrest of suspects and conducting inquiries and investigations into corruption and misuse of authority.

He had stated that the petitioner had also recommended that as currently, the KPEC director general had been assigned wideranging powers, some of his powers should be assigned to the KPEC to prevent the misuse of the law.

The lawyer claimed the recommendations annoyed the KPEC director general and therefore, his client was arrested in next few days onfabricated charges.