Ahad Cheema, Shahid Shafiq To Jail On Judicial Remand In Ashiana Iqbal Case

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2018 ) :The Accountability Court (AC) of Lahore Monday sent former director general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema and Bismillah Engineering's proprietor Shahid Shafiq Faridi to jail on 15-day judicial remand in Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme case.

At the outset of court proceedings, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials produced the suspects before AC Judge Syed Najamul Hassan on expiry of their physical remand. The NAB investigating officer submitted that Ahad Cheema had spent 90 days in physical custody.

Since the accused had acquired many assets which needed to be probed, therefore, the court should grant further physical remand of the suspect for investigation, he added.

The defence counsel opposed the request and asked the court to send the accused to jail on judicial remand.

The court accepted the request of the defence counsel and sent the accused to jail on judicial remand. The NAB alleged that Ahad Cheema misused his authority as LDA director general and awarded a contract of Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme to Lahore Casa Developers, a joint venture of three companies M/s Bismillah Engineering Services, M/s SPARCO Construction Company and M/s China First Metallurgical Group Company Ltd, which was ineligible for the purpose.

It was claimed that Ahad Cheema also received illegal gratification in the form of 32-kanal land from one of the shareholder companies of the joint venture. APP/syh/rsd