LAHORE - A national accountability court Wednesday indicted two accused Hammad Arshad and ex-serviceman Khalid Nazir Butt in Rs16 billion DHA (Lahore) land acquisition scam.
Both accused, however, pleaded not guilty. The court directed them to present witnesses on the next hearing. NAB arrested Hammad Arshad and Khalid Nazir Butt after hundreds of people approached the bureau seeking action.
NAB officials alleged that Globaco (pvt) Ltd of Arshad had secured a contract from DHA-EME in 2009 to acquire 25,000-kanal land for the establishment of DHA City. They alleged that the company collected around Rs15. 47 billion from the public but failed to acquire the agreed land and issue allotment letters to the people. The accused transferred the amount to their personal accounts and used the same for their own businesses, the official said.
Khalid Nazir Butt was the former project director of DHA City who was accused of misusing his office and rendering illegal benefit to Hammad Arshad. Butt was also accused of signing a vague contract with the Globaco Company and allowing it to start the project without acquisition of land. Butt also accused of getting the master plan approved from the executive board of the DHA.
Company Elysium Holdings Pakistan Limited of Karman Kayani, brother of former army chief Ashraf Pervez Kayani, was also accused by NAB authorities besides many other companies but he escaped the country. The court would resume hearing on Dec 22.
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