ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan yesterday granted bail to former Director General (DG) Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema, and co-accused Shahid Shafiq, in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam conducted hearing of an appeal of ex-DG LDA and others against the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict which had dismissed their post-arrest bail petitions in April 2020.

Advocate Amjad Pervez appearing on behalf of Ahad Cheema told the court that his client is behind the bars for the last two-years-and-nine months. The reference was filed against him in December 2018, but the charges were framed in February 2019. He said that due to the Ashiana scheme neither national exchequer nor the provincial kitty suffered any loss, but his client had been behind the bars for approximately three years.

Special Prosecutor General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Imran ul Haq contended that Bismillah Engineering in fact is a dummy firm of Paragon Housing Society. He added that the Paragon Society management transferred money in the account of Bismillah Engineering, which later shifted it to the LDA accounts. He said that Ahad Cheema along with other persons benefited Ashiana Housing Scheme. Opposing the bail application, he argued that the main person in Ashiana Scheme should not be granted bail.

Justice Tariq Masood, a member of the bench, asked from the NAB counsel to explain how the accused is in the jail for the last two years and nine months. He further asked that why in this circumstance the court not grant bail to the accused.

Amjad Pervez said that the NAB filed reference against Paragon Society when Ahad Cheema declared it illegal. He said that it is baseless to blame Ahad Cheema for providing benefit to the Paragon Housing. It is also wrong to say that his client obtained 8 kanal land as a bribe. “My client has nothing to do with the transfer of 8 kanal land each to sister Sadia Mansoor, brother Ahmed Saood and relative Ahmed Hassan,” the counsel said.

Amjad Pervez told that 13 co-accused in this case were granted bail. He said that it is incorrect to blame Ahad Cheema that he deprived the provincial government of 3,000 kanals. In the contract neither there is violation of PPRA Rules nor any other illegality.

The NAB had arrested the Ahad Cheema in relation to cases of Punjab Land Development Company famously known as Ashiana Housing Scheme. The NAB claims that it has plethora of evidences that Ahad Cheema has illegally allotted lands for the Ashiana Housing Scheme in Lahore.

According to a petition filed before Lahore High Court, Ahad Cheema owns 21 properties and assets worth of billion of rupees inside and outside Pakistan. In 2018 he had given Rs21.6 million as loan to one of his brothers while investing Rs15 million in the United States with another individual. He also owns 2.5 kilograms of gold, which is in his wife’s possession while his annual expenses are over Rs8.4 million.

He also owns another piece of land measuring 113 kanals. His 3-kanal plot in Lahore’s Baath village in Cantt is worth Rs20 million and another plot in Cantt is worth Rs 40 million. There are other properties in his name as well, located in Model Town and other areas of Lahore, Cooperative Society in Islamabad, Hillock View Islamabad and Federal Government Employees Housing Scheme in Islamabad.

He bought a plot in FIA Employees Housing Society Islamabad, one in G-13 and 2 in Faisal Residencia Islamabad on instalments. Cheema also bought a plot in LDA Avenue worth more than 10 million rupees during his tenure as LDA DG and also has cash, bonds and shares worth Rs14.5 million.