KARACHI, June 6: An accountability court on Friday acquitted six persons nominated as accused along with some government officials in a case pertaining to the misappropriation of the Karachi Port Trust’s land due to a lack of incriminating evidence.

Judge Syed Aley Maqbool Rizvi of the Accountability Court-1 pronounced the verdict after recording arguments from both sides on an acquittal plea moved by the accused.

The judgment said that on the one hand the prosecution did not produce sufficient evidence against the accused to prove their involvement in the case and on the other hand all the public office holders were acquitted. It concluded that the prosecution was not in a position to prove its case.

The court has already allowed an application under the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) and acquitted R. B. Rahoo, Khan Mohammad Qureshi, Ghulam Abbas Soomro and Ramesh M. Odashi since they were holders of public offices.

The private parties, Adam Khan Jokhio, Fazal Hussain Shah, Wahad Bux and three others, through their counsel had moved an acquittal application under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code.

According to the reference (8/07) filed by the National Accountability Bureau, Sindh, the accused were involved in an illegal transfer and subsequent allotment of about 75 acres adjacent to Mai Kolachi Road to certain private parties. The records showed that the KPT land in question was acquired for the city’s uplift, and that no payment for the land was made by the provincial government to the KPT.

The reference stated that the piece of land was fraudulently sold out to some private parties at a throwaway price, thereby causing a heavy loss to the national exchequer. The former speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, was also nominated in the FIR on the grounds that the illegal allotments had been effected by his approval. However, during the proceedings of the reference, he was found clear and acquitted. The case was registered in 1996.

Ex-excise & taxation official acquitted

The same court also acquitted a former assistant excise and taxation officer in a corruption case since the prosecution failed to prove his involvement.

The reference (13/06) against Mohammad Ashraf Shaheen was filed by the National Accountability Bureau. Mr Shaheen joined the Sindh Excise and Taxation Department in 1972 and was posted at Karachi. Later, he was promoted to the post of assistant excise and taxation officer.

According to the reference, during his tenure the accused had accumulated assets beyond his known legal sources of income and the records of the bank accounts of the accused, his wife, and mother showed huge financial transactions. The total expenditure of the accused was over Rs10.9 million and over Rs1.4 million on the accounts of utility bills and educational expenses of his children as against his lawful earnings of over Rs1.2 million.

Murder case

An anti-terrorism court recorded the statements of two prosecution witnesses in a case pertaining to the kidnap and murder of a 21-year-old man.

The witnesses, Hakeem Ali, a police constable, and, Nazirul Islam, one of the cousins of the deceased, appeared in court to testify in the case.

The judge, Abdul Ghafoor Memon, of the ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, adjourned the hearing till June 9. The accused, Abu Alkalam, and his son, Abdul Razzaq, were indicted on May 23 for the murder of Kamal. However, the accused pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

According to the prosecution, the police found the body of a young man on February 14 near the Premier College from the limits of the North Nazimabad police station. The police registered an FIR on behalf of the state.

On Feb 15, the deceased was identified as Kamal, 21, son of Abdul Haq. After initial investigations, however, the police on Feb 16 arrested the accused.

The investigation officer, Hatim Khan Marwat, stated in the charge-sheet that the deceased, Kamal, was said to be fond of the daughter of Abu Alkalam and wanted to marry her. However, the girl’s family opposed the matrimonial alliance which led to many disputes between both the families.

On Feb 13 the accused along with his son, Abdul Razzaq, and a relative, Mahjil Hussail, killed Kamal and dumped the body near Premier College, said the prosecution.

The police registered a case (FIR No81/08) under Section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Mahjil Hussain has been declared absconder in the case.