LAHORE, April 16: Former MNA Rana Tanvir Husain was on Tuesday sentenced by an accountability court to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs6.9 million for acquiring assets disproportionate to his legitimate income.

The court also disqualified him for holding any public office or getting loan from any bank for 10 years under the NAB Ordinance provisions. The fine will be recovered through the disposal of the convict’s assets in case it is not paid within one month.

According to the prosecution, Rana Tanvir, who had been a parliamentary secretary during the term of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister, opened a foreign currency account with US $42,000 in June 1997 and encashed $100,000 special bond in January 1999. He built a palatial house on three kanals of land in Lahore at a cost of Rs3.6 million besides acquiring Muridke Oil Mills, Buraq Poly Fabrics, Batala Ghee Mills and Khayaban Ghee Mills shares worth Rs13.2 million in his own and his wife’s name. He invested Rs3.71 million from 1994 to 1997 but he and his wife Humaira showed a total income of Rs2.46 million during the period. He and his wife declared a total income of Rs5.4 million during 1997-98 but invested Rs7.298 million during the period. The investments made by Rana Tanvir and his wife thus exceeded the declared income.

The Punjab NAB filed the reference against the former MNA on June 15 last and produced 16 witnesses in support of the charges. Rana Tanvir produced 26 witnesses in his defence.