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Thursday, March 28, 2024

After 11 years trial, Court acquits all suspects in Pakistan Steel Mills corruption case

After a lengthy trial spanning 11 years, an accountability court on Friday acquitted all suspects in the Pakistan Steel Mills corruption reference.

After a lengthy trial spanning 11 years, an accountability court on Friday acquitted all suspects in the Pakistan Steel Mills corruption reference. The accountability court-IV judge Suresh Kumar exonerated the suspects from all charges, giving them the benefit of doubt.

The accused include Sameen Asghar, Asghar Jameel Rizvi, Chaudhry Shafiq Abbas, Tariq Irshad.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed the reference in 2012.

According to the reference, the accused embezzled funds in the award of contracts, causing a loss of over Rs13 million to the Pakistan Steel Mills.

Last year, an accountability court had acquitted former chairman of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) Moeen Aftab Sheikh over lack of evidence in a corruption reference involving Rs490 million.

Ex-PSM chief Moin Aftab Shaikh along with ex-director (commercial) Sameen Asghar had been accused of misuse of authority which caused a financial loss of Rs0.49 billion to the national exchequer.

Chairman Pakistan Steel Mills acquitted

It is important to note that the NAB had already moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the acquittal of former chairman of the Pakistan Steel Mills Moeen Aftab Sheikh and other accused in an alleged corruption reference.

On February 27, the persons nominated in the canteen contract’s corruption reference were acquitted by an accountability court in Karachi.

According to the NAB, the accused were freed by the accountability court despite concrete evidence. The accused were involved in alleged corruption which led Pakistan Steel Mills to suffer a financial loss worth Rs80 million following the suspicious contract of 19 canteens.

The accused persons include former PSM chairman Moeen Aftab Sheikh, Rafiq Khan, Imtiazul Haq, Asghar, Zahid Ali and others.

Last year, an accountability court had acquitted former chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) Moeen Aftab Sheikh over lack of evidence in a corruption reference worth Rs490 million.

Ex-PSM chief Moin Aftab Shaikh along with ex-director (commercial) Sameen Asghar had been accused of misuse of authority which caused a financial loss of Rs0.49 billion to the national exchequer.

Read more: Pakistan Pays Russia $93.5 Million Settling Decades Old Dispute

PSM ex-chairman Moeen Aftab, director of commercial Sameen Asghar and contractor Abdul Rasheed were nominated in the reference. It is pertinent to mention here that the NAB had filed nine corruption references against Moeen Aftab.