KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court issued bailable warrants against absconding suspect Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, ex-chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT), who was booked on charges of corruption and abuse of authority for illegally appointing 940 employees in KPT.
During the hearing on December 18, 2018, the court was informed by NAB investigation officer that Rauf Akhtar Farooqi escaped after rejection of bail petition by a division bench of Sindh High Court (SHC). He submitted that prosecution is trying its best for his arrest and he will be produced when arrested.
It needs to be mentioned here that proceeding for proclaimed offender Babar Khan Ghori, ex-minister of Port & Shipping are already undergone and court has issued his NBWs.
According to the NAB reference, during the investigation, it was revealed that the above mentioned suspects and others are fully involved in charges of corruption and abuse of authority for illegally appointing 940 employees in KPT in connivance with (the MQM’s) Babar Ghauri, the then minister for ports and shipping. He further informed that appointments were made in violation of KPT law, rules and regulations “without advertisement of vacancies, competitive process, age criteria, medical examination of appointees and in violation of basic formalities”.
Investigation officer had submitted that a large number of those appointed had a criminal record in serious cases such as “terrorism, premeditated murder and robbery” and that the illegal appointments resulted in losses to the national exchequer to the tune of Rs2.8 billion.
Investigation officer further stated that Javed Hanif and Sapraz, ex-director Gwadar are confined in Central Jail, Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Iqbal and Amir Ali Brohi are on bail and Babar Khan Ghauri and others are still absconders.
