12 exonerated in M6 case
The Accountability Court No1 Hyderabad, presided over by Judge Naseem Akhtar Soomro, has acquitted 12 accused from district Naushahro Feroze in the mega corruption reference related to the purchase of land for the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M-6). The reference involved over Rs5 billion in alleged corruptions.
However, cases are still in progress against 30 suspects, including the axed deputy commissioners of Matiari and Naushehro Feroze districts, who are on the run after pocketing billions of rupees meant for buying land for the motorway.
The court accepted the acquittal pleas filed by the accused and released them with honour after concluding that no evidence had been found against them during investigations conducted by NAB and the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).
The acquitted individuals include two former Mukhtiarkars, three clerks, three tapedars, and the former personal assistant (PA) of the ex-deputy commissioner of Naushehro Feroze. The decision was reserved after final arguments by the counsels and was issued yesterday in a two-page written judgment.
The judgment stated that no incriminating material was found against the applicants during the investigations, and NAB's special prosecutor had also confirmed the absence of any evidence on record. The Anti-Corruption Establishment had initially investigated the alleged corruption in the land acquisition process and later transferred the case to NAB.
The accused were acquitted under Section 265 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPrC). Those acquitted include, Shafiq Ahmed Soomro (former Mukhtiarkar Mehrabpur), Niaz Ali Ajan, (former Mukhtiarkar Bhirya City), Abdul Aziz Ansari (former PA to DC Naushehro Feroze), Abdul Ghaffar Depar (former senior clerk), Ghulam Haqqani Sehto and Tanveer Ali Mallah (former tapedars), Rustam Khoso (former accounts clerk), Khalid Masood Channa (private contractor), Sajjad Ahmed Memon (former social welfare officer), Aftab Ahmed Soomro and Siraj Ahmed Memon (stamp vendors) and Abdul Ghaffar Marri (Notary Public).
It is pertinent to mention that NAB had filed this reference in the accountability court in 2023, alleging Rs5.8 billion embezzlement in funds allocated for land acquisition for the M-6 Motorway in districts Matiari and Naushehro Feroze. The case included several government officials, private contractors, and individuals, with a total of 42 persons named as accused.
While 12 have now been acquitted, the reference against the remaining 30 accused, including suspended DC Matiari Adnan Rasheed and absconding/suspended DC Naushehro Feroze Tashfeen Alam, is still under trial in Accountability Court No. 1.
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