LHC Allows Bail To Fawad Hassan Fawad

The court expresses surprise over the performance of anti-graft body for not taking benami suspects in the case till now.

LAHORE: (Urdu Point/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Jan 21^st, 2020) The Lahore High Court (LHC) approved bail of former Principal Secretary to PM Fawad Hassan Fawad in illegal assets case here on Tuesday.

A LHC division bench headed by Justice Tariq Abbasi took up the bail petition filed by Fawad Hassan Fawad, observing that why National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could not arrest three benami suspects in the case till now.

“One having nothing on his name was taken into custody,” Justice Tariq Abbasi observed.

The counsel of Fawad Hassan Fawad told the court that his client was arrested in 2018 but no indictment proceedings was carried out against him. He was not involved in corruption but was implicated in the case on political grounds.

Previously, he said his bail was rejected on the ground that investigation was continued but now a complete reference with complete details was there in the court.

A NAB prosecutor said that Fawad Hasan Fawad used his relatives name to hide the properties. On it, the court asked that why the other suspects were not being taken into custody. At this, the NAB prosecutor said that the company having all the assets has nothing in its bank accounts.

On it, the court ordered release of Fawad Hassan Fawad and directed him to submit surety bond worth Rs 1 million.

In reaction to bail of Fawad Hassan Fawad’s release, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif thanked Almighty Allah and said that he was happy that former Principal Secretary to PM was an honest, competent and intelligent person.

Fawad Hassan Fawad was arrested on July 5, 2018 for his alleged role in Ashiyana Housing Scheme Scam which later turned against him into a case of assets beyond known sources of income on August 3, 2018.Fawad was accused of accumulating assets worth Rs1089 million with no declared sources of income.

The NAB alleged that Fawad had an “illegal” commercial plot of 5-kanal worth Rs500 million (approx) at Haider Road in Rawalpindi with a value of Rs500 million.

NAB Lahore Regional board converted ongoing inquiry against accused Fawad Hassan Fawad into investigations on October 12, 2018 whereby after completing the investigations, a reference was sent to NAB Headquarters for approval.