LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday asked an accountability court to allow withdrawal of a Rs9 billion reference of sanctioning illegal loans against former president of Bank of Punjab (BoP) Hamesh Khan and others for lack of evidence.

Hamesh, a prime suspect of the 2007 reference, was arrested in the United States in 2009 by the Interpol and extradited to Pakistan next year. He had managed to flee the country despite being placed on the Exit Control List in 2008.

He was indicted in 2012 and released on bail by the Supreme Court after an incarceration of over five years in 2015.

The NAB had accused the former pres-ident of the BoP of issuing loans of billions of rupees on the basis of bogus documentations.

Sheikh Afzal of Harris Steels Mills, another key suspect, and his son Harris were arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency in Malaysia in 2009.

According to the NAB, Afzal and cosuspects Muhammad Munir, Ali Ijaz, Abid Raza and Irfan Ali, in connivance with Hamesh Khan and other officials of the bank, opened 23 fake accounts with forged national identity cards. They obtained huge loans of approximately Rs9bn from 2005 to 2007, using fake documentation, bogus collateral, fabricated guarantees and mortgage deeds executed by fictitious persons.

However, a NAB prosecutor on Tuesday filed an application before thetrial court, saying a fresh evaluation of the old and new evidence was approved by the NAB chairman. He said the fresh scrutiny of the evidence found no offences of corruption and misuse of authority against the suspects.

He said the NAB chief approved the withdrawal of the reference.

However, a lawyer for the BoP opposed the NAB request and argued that the suspects were involved in opening dozens of bogus banl< accounts to release huge loans.

A lawyer for Sheikh Afzal asked the court to discharge his client from the reference. He said the NAB itself admitted that the whole case was fabricated.

Judge Zubair Shahzad Kiyani adjourned the hearing till Nov 18 for more arguments on the bureau`s application.