PESHAWAR: The Peshawar district and sessions judge on Wednesday granted bail to four government officials in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds during the purchase of computers for the local government department.
Judge Shahid Khan asked the four, including former secretary of local government department and current director general of the prosecution directorate Aurangzeb Khan, deputy secretary of planning and development department Shakirullah Khan, director of local government department Tahira Yasmin and assistant deputy commissioner serving as Wapda magistrate Samiullah Khan, to furnish two surety bonds each of Rs500,000 for ball.
However, private contractor Manzoor Ahmad Qureshi`s bail plea was turned down.
The contractor was awarded contract of the provision of computers and other accessories to the local government department.
The suspects were arrested by the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) on June 29.
The ACE alleged that the four officials in connivance with each other had awarded the contract of the supply of 710 computers and same numbers of stabilisers and uninterrupted power supply units.
It alleged that instead of awarding the contract to the lowest bidder the four suspects awarded the same to the suspect Manzoor Ahmad Qureshi who had quoted higher rates.
The ACE alleged that the contractor provided half of the computers whereas rest of the 355 computers were not provided to the department as the suspects were involved with him.
Furthermore, the suspect had also allegedly paid the entire amount to the contractor in advance and for that purpose instead of making payment through cross cheques, which was the prescribed procedure, they paid the amount in cash.
The ACE alleged that the suspects had inflicted a loss of Rs46 million to the exchequer.
Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik, Aamir Jawed and other appeared for the four applicants and contended that their clients were falsely implicated in the case.
NOTICE ISSUED: A Peshawar High Court bench on Wednesday issued notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission for filing response to a petition of mines and minerals development department director general Dr Liaquat Ali against his arrest by the commission.
The bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Qaisar Rahseed directed that the commission should explain its position in the case.
Advocate Ameenur Rehman appeared for the petitioner and stated that he was arrested few days ago by the Ehtesab commission on charges of inflicting loss to exchequer by awarding contracts of mines to favourite persons in Nizampur area against the prescribed rules.
He said in the instant charges, the National accountability Bureau had already been conducting an inquiry. He added that under the KP Ehtesab Commission Act the commission could not assume jurisdiction in a case when it was already pending with a federal agency.
He requested that the petitioner may be released on bail tillñnaldisposalofthe petition.
