LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Tuesday granted bail to former Gujrat district police officer (DPO) Kamran Mumtaz in the police funds embezzlement c ase.

The bench comprising Justice Ali Bagar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh passed the orders while allowing a post-arrest bail petition, filed by the former DPO.

The petitioner counsel argued before the bench that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested his client without any evidence.

He submitted that the bureau conducted an inquiry into misappropriation of funds of Gujrat police, but it failed to get any evidence against his client.

He submitted that two accused had already been granted bail in the matter; therefore, his client should be given the benefit of bail.However, a NAB prosecutor opposed the plea, saying two accused had admitted they were guilty during the inquiry. He submitted that the accused, with the connivance of the co-accused, during his tenure in Gujrat, embezzled funds of petrol, uniform and other heads and caused loss to the national exchequer.

He pleaded with the court for dismissing the bail.

The bench, after hearing detailed arguments of the parties, granted post-arrest bail to Kamran Mumtaz.

The bureau accused Kamran Mumtaz of embezzling Rs550 million under different heads, including petrol bills, allowances and martyrs funds of the Police Department during his posting as Gujrat DPO (2015-16). Besides Kamran Mumtaz, the bureau also arrested 11 others in the case.-APP