KARACHI: An accountability court on Friday admitted a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau against two builders allegedly involved in cheating the public at large through a housing project.

The federal anti-graft watchdog booked Haji Adam Jokhio and his son Lal Mohammad Jokhio over their alleged involvement in defrauding around 1,100 allottees of a commercial project launched in 1992 and reselling it in 2013.

On Friday, NAB investigating officer Khalid Khan through special public prosecutor Syed Dilshad Hussain Shah submitted an interim reference under Section 18(g) read with Section 24(b) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 before the administrative judge of accountability courts Abdul Ghani Soomro.

The judge noted that prima facie it appeared that an offence under the NAO, 1999 was made out against the suspects, who were present on bail.

Therefore, the judge admitted the reference and transferred the same to the Accountability Court-IV for its disposal according to the law.

The prosecution was directed to provide copies of the documentary evidence to suspects.

Later, AC-IV Judge Suresh Kumar took up the matter and fixed the same on Sept 28 for indictment of suspects, who were directed to appear before the court on the next date.

The watchdog claimed that builder father and son had allegedly launched the Gulshan-i-Dozan housing project on 70 acres, approximately valued at Rs3.5 billion, and collected millions of rupees from hundreds of allottees in 1992. Later, the suspects split the same piece of land on which another builder launched a separate project, it added.

It further stated that in 2013 Adam Jokhio reportedly furnished an undertaking with the Sindh Building Control Authority to redress the claims of the affected persons, but failed to comply with the same and abandoned the project thereafter.

Till date, the suspects failed to hand over the possession of these plots depriving the general public of their investments and rightful ownership, it added.

The watchdog claimed that as per FBR rates, the per square yard rate of residential plot in Scheme-33 is Rs8,500 and commercial plot Rs34,000.

The watchdog claimed that the evidence including claims of affectees collected/received by NAB along with supporting documents and details and statements recorded under Section 161 of the criminal procedure code established that the suspects had committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices and cheating the public at large, as defined under Section 9(a)(ix), (x) and (xii) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, punishable under Section 10 of the ordinance and schedule thereto.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021