ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to Irfanullah Khan, former director general of now devolved social welfare ministry, who is the main accused in Tawana Pakistan project (TPP) scandal.

A division bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah granted the bail to Khan against the surety bond of Rs3 million as the investigating agency could not produce the accused before the trial court in the last eight hearings.

Besides, Khan`s counsel informed the court that he had already submitted Rs20 million to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) under the plea bargaining. While requesting to grant bail, he said that Khan was willing to submit the rest of the embezzled amount in the case.

The NAB prosecutor opposed the bail application saying the former DG was the main accused in the TPP scam and he not only misused the authority but also embezzled the public money.

Previously, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had dismissed bail application of Khan in the case on January 12. NAB had initiated an inquiry against the former DG and others in 2009 on the direction of the Prime Minister`s Inspection Commission when the scandal came to the surface.

The officials were accused of corruption and corrupt practices, illegal gratification and misuse of authority that caused a loss of more than Rs170 million to the national exchequer.

The project was aimed at addressing the nutritional needs of girls between the ages of five to 12 years studying in government girls primary schools in remote areas of the country.

The accused not only provided unhygienic food items but they were allegedly involved in corrupt practices in the award of a food supply contract to a company in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules 2004.

TPP was launched by the now devolved ministry of social welfare after the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved it in September 2002.

Under the project, nutrient milk was to be provided to schools in less-developed areas.

During an audit of 23 schools in the selected districts, about 73 per cent of the schoolteachers revealed that the milk supplied to the schools was unhygienic and stale.

Following the arguments, the court awarded bail to Khan with directions to submit the surety amount.