Court Seeks Final Arguments On Acquittal Pleas Of Accused In Chiniot Mines & Minerals Case

An accountability court on Friday sought final arguments from parties on acquittal applications filed by Provincial Minister Sibtain Khan and other accused in the Chiniot mines and minerals case, on January 24

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jan, 2022 ) :An accountability court on Friday sought final arguments from parties on acquittal applications filed by Provincial Minister Sibtain Khan and other accused in the Chiniot mines and minerals case, on January 24.

Accountability Court Judge Sajad Ali conducted the case proceedings, wherein the accused appeared and got their attendance marked. However, Provincial Minister Sibtain Khan did not appear due to illness.

A counsel on behalf of Sibtain Khan filed an exemption application and submitted that his client could not appear due to illness. He requested the court to exempt him from personal appearance for one-day.

The counsel also advanced his arguments on acquittal application of Sibtain Khan during the proceedings. He submitted that the new amended NAB ordinance was also applicable on the old cases. He submitted that the mining contract was not awarded during 2007 when Sibtain Khan was a minister for mines and minerals in the PML-Q government.

Subsequently, the court adjourned further proceedings till January 24 and sought final arguments from parties on the next date of hearing.

The court also allowed the exemption application of Sibtain Khan.

Sibtain Khan and other accused had filed acquittal applications, saying that after the New Amended NAB Ordinance, the reference did not fall under the jurisdiction of the bureau.

Besides Sibtain Khan, Salman Ghani, Muhammad Aslam, Abdul Sattar Mian and Imtiaz Ahmad Cheema had been named as the accused in the reference filed by National Accountability Bureau. The bureau had alleged that Sibtain Khan exceeded his powers and awarded a multi-billion contract to a firm of his choice during 2007 when he was minister for mines and minerals in the PML-Q government. The bureau stated the company that was given the contract had a paid-up capital of Rs2.5 million only and also lacked the experience required for the project.

It is pertinent to mention here that the bureau arrested Sibtain Khan on June 14, 2019 but he obtained post-arrest bail from the Lahore High Court on September 19, 2019.