Islamabad: Supreme Court suspended Lahore High Court (LHC) decision acquit the sergeant (in pension) Hamid Mahmood, who was sentenced to 12 years in prisone accepted the appeal of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). against his exemption.
A three-member bench of the top court composed of Judge Sardar Tariq Masood, Judge Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Judge Qazi Muhammad Amin heard national Graft Giver Appeal against Mahmood’s acquittal.
Prosecutor Naeem Tariq Sanghera, who appeared before the court on behalf of NAB, took the position that an agreement was reached in 2004 with a company in Singapore will import 40,000 tons of coal for $ 2.4 million for Nizampur Cement Plant, managed by the Army Welfare Trust. He said Mahmood had shown himself as an agent of the company.
The prosecutor said that although $ 2.4 million was transferred for the purpose but the coal was not imported. He said more more than $ 115,000 has been credited to the account of Mahmood the next day of payment.
The high court without considering this important evidence acquitted the defendant, the NAB prosecutor said, adding that Mahmood had also applied for plea deal.
The Supreme Court upheld NAB’s appeal for hearing and suspended LHC decision to absolve Mahmood by issuing a warning to him.
In 2014, NAB Rawalpindi court sentenced Mahmood to prison which was declared null and void and void from the LHC in 2017. During this period, the accused had spent eight months in incarceration.
The LHC had granted bail to Mahmood after the accused was filed money during the process.
