Motorway Scam: Court orders to declare four accused proclaimed offenders

KARACHI: Special Court-Banking on Thursday ordered initiating proceedings to declare four accused including former DC Naushehro Feroz as proclaimed offenders, ARY News reported.

The court issued orders during hearing of Rs three billion Sukkur-Hyderabad M-6 Motorway land acquisition scam.

Accused former deputy commissioner Naushehro Feroz Tashfeen Alam, Tharo Khan Solangi, contractor Rehmatullah Solangi and Asghar Jatoi, have been asconding in the case, FIA said.

The court ordered publication of advertisements in newspapers for arrest of the absconders.

The court also directed the FIA investigation officer to submit details of the property of the accused.

Earlier, on Friday a court approved four-day remand of accused arrested in connection with the M6 land acquisition scandal.

Accused Aziz Ansari, Rustam Khoso, Shafique Soomro, Sajjad Memon and others were produced before an anti-corruption court.

The court while granting four days remand of the accused ordered the anti-corruption team to complete the inquiry from the accused till the next hearing. It may be noted that 22 employees have been booked in a motorway land acquisition scam.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team earlier arrested the ‘front man’ of private contractor Rehmatullah Solangi in the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway land acquisition scam.

Accused Zawar Shah was taken into custody from Sukkur to be shifted to Karachi on transit remand.

The Scam

According to documents, the National Highway Authority had released an amount of Rs. 4.09 billion to DC Matiari for the purchase of land for M-6 motorway. The accused drew Rs 1.82 billion cash from the bank for the procurement of land for 70 kilometers of the road.

An amount of Rs four billion was transferred to another account by the accused which earned 540 million rupees profit. AC New Saeedabad paid cash to the landowners instead of cheques, according to case papers.