Lahore (Staff Report): An accountability court on Thursday granted 11-day physical remand of former director-general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday arrested the former DG on charges of illegally allotting 32 kanal land in Ashiana Housing Scheme in the Punjab capital.
The anti-graft watchdog produced the accused before the court and informed the court that Cheema’s assets are disproportionate to his income and accused him of misusing the power while being in the office.
After hearing the arguments, the court granted 11 days physical remand of the accused.
Mr Cheema, who currently heads two power companies in the Punjab, was arrested from his Gulberg office after he failed to comply with the NAB’s summons.
In their last notice, the NAB had asked Mr Cheema to provide a detailed statement regarding the award of the contract for the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Project, which was entrusted to him by the chief minister, and the purchase of 32 kanals of land at Mouza Tedha Cantt in Lahore.
Under the law, if a suspect does not cooperate with the NAB in an investigation and holds evidence that they may be tampered with, the Bureau can arrest him without first obtaining an FIR.