KARACHI: An accountability court in Karachi on Wednesday summoned former federal minister for port and shipping Babar Ghori through advertisement in nationwide publications as despite of issuing several arrest warrants he has not been arrested so far.
The court conducted hearing of a corruption reference pertaining to Rs2.8 billion corruption in the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), wherein the court was informed that an initiative has been taken to send notices to the main suspect Babar Ghro through advertisements in national-wide Urdu and English newspapers and he was summoned to appear on December 3.
The court had earlier, severed several notices to Ghori to appear in the court then issued none-bailable warrants but he avoided to appear in the trail court.
In prior hearing, the court had charged Javid Hanif, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) member of provincial assembly and others, in a same corruption reference.
MQM former leader Babar Ghauri, was nominated in the reference and facing the charges of massive corruption when he was federal minister for ports and shipping between 2008 and 2013. Mr Ghauri was declared an absconder in the case, as he failed attending NAB inquiry.
Ghori is the main suspect in the corruption reference of making 940 illegal appointments in the KPT in 2012. However, the court has separated his reference as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has failed to arrest him. The court had already issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him.
According to the NAB prosecution, the appointments were made in violation of KPT law, rules and regulations and resulted in loss to national exchequer to the tune of Rs 2.8 billion, and Javed Hanif, who is former chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT), had allegedly played a vital role in this illegal practice.
The NAB has nominated as many as eight accused in the reference including, Babar Ghori, Javed Hanif, Rauf Akthar Farooqui, former director Gwadar port, Seras Ahmed, Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Iqbal and Ameer Ali Brhoi.
