Ashiana Case: Court Extends Remand Of Ahad Cheema, Shahid

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Ashiana Case: Court extends remand of Ahad Cheema, Shahid

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th May, 2018 ) :An accountability court Friday extended physical remand of former Director General of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema and Bismillah Engineering's proprietor Shahid Shafiq Faridi for 3 days in Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme case.

At the outset of the proceedings, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials produced the suspects before Accountability Court Judge Munir Ahmad amid tight security on expiry of the remand term.

The Bureau's investigating officer submitted that investigation of the case was still under way. He submitted that Ahad Cheema had also acquired many assets which need to be probed. He requested the court to extend physical remand of the suspects for completion of investigation.

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

The court, however, accepted NAB's request and extended physical remand of Ahad Cheema and Shahid Shafiq till May 21 and directed NAB officials to produce them on expiry of remand term.

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 Co, M/s SPARCO Construction Company and M/s China First Metallurgical Group Co Ltd, which was ineligible for the purpose.

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