KARACHl: A sessions court on Tuesday remanded the former director general of Karachi Development Authority in the custody of Federal Investigation Agency in another case pertaining to illegal money transfer till Sept 28.

Former KDA chief Syed Nasir Abbas, who had been granted bail on Saturday in a case pertaining to falsifying facts to obtain a passport, was taken into custody from prison by the FIA on Monday and later produced before the court for remand in the new case.

The investigating officer submitted that the suspect was involved in illegally transferring money abroad and sought his 14-day physical remand for questioning and recovery of documentary evidence. However, the defence lawyer argued that his client was being framed in the case. The counsel said he was arrested from the jail hospital and he needed urgent medical treatment.

Additional district and sessions judge (central) Shahid Ali Memon, who is hearing the case as a special judge/tribunal under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, handed him over to the FIA on two-day physical remand and directed the 10 to provide him necessary medical treatment.

The defence lawyer later moved a bail application in the new case. The court will hear arguments on the plea on Wednesday (today).

According to the remand papers, the FIA acting on a complaint of the State Bank of Pakistan raided a place in North Nazimabad on Sept 18, arrested Mohammad Hanif and also made recoveries from him. The suspect was illegally transferring money to Canada after bypassing the SBP rules, it maintained.

The FIA alleged that Hanif disclosed to the interrogators that the former KDA chief used to give him over Rs2.5 million every week to transfer it to Canada in the foreign currency accounts of his wife and son. While Hanif would remain in the FIA custody on physical remand till Sept 28, his accomplice Raheem was in Canada, the IO said.

The FIA registered a case under Sections 4 (restriction on dealing in foreign exchange), 5 (restriction on payments) and 23 (penalty and procedure) of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 read with Section 109 (abetment) of Pakistan Penal Code.

Initially, the FIA had arrested the then KDA chief on Sept 16 after registering a case against him for allegedly concealing his government job and obtaining a passport by declaring himself a businessman. The court granted him bail on Sept 23 against a surety bond of Rs100,000 and he was again arrested in the new case on Sept 25.

KDA gets new director general Samiuddin Siddiqui was appointed the director general of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) on Tuesday.

A notification issued by the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department said, `Samiuddin Siddiqui, an officer of ex-PCS (BS-20), who was working as the director general (public relations) at the Information and Achieves department is transferred and posted with immediate effect until further orders as the director general of the KDA against an existing vacancy.` The post of KDA director general had fallen vacant on Sept 16 when the federal investigation agency (FIA) arrested the incumbent Syed Nasir Abbas for possessing two passports one declaring him a businessman and the other a government official.