Four accused file bail petitions in sugarcane subsidy reference

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday heard reference filed under charges of embezzlement of funds and corruption in sugarcane subsidy, ARY News reported.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed reference against Khawaja Anwar Majeed and other 39 accused.

Four accused Hussain Syed, Matanat Ali, Salman Younus and Mustafa Zulqarnain filed petitions in court for their acquittal under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019.

Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir issued notice to NAB and summoned reply over the petitions.

NAB prosecutor Suhail Arif submitted a report in the court with regard to non-arrest of three accused Nimr Majeed, Ali Kamal Majeed and Manahil Majeed.

The prosecutor also said that the house of an accused, Zulfiqar, has been traced and summon issued to him via the district police officer.

The reference is filed under charges of embezzlement in funds released by the government of Sindh to sugar mills as subsidy for onward payment to sugarcane farmers.

Sugarcane Subsidy Reference

The Government of Sindh through the Cane Commissioner Sindh paid an amount of Rs 3.9 billion to different sugar mills for onward payment to sugarcane growers as subsidy on account of supply of sugarcane for the season 2014-15.

An investigation was conducted on the eight sugar mills of Omni Group owned by Anwar Majeed and his four sons Abdul Ghani Majeed, Nimr Majeed, Mustafa Zulqarnain Majeed and Ali Kamal Majeed.

The investigation revealed that out of Rs728.18 million subsidy granted to the eight sugar mills of Omni Group, an amount of Rs346 million has been allegedly misappropriated by the accused in connivance with their senior employees by showing their low paid staff as sugarcane growers.