LHC Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan says ACE Punjab made Rana Sanaullah Pakistan’s number one proclaimed offender without evidence
RAWALPINDI, Oct 17 (SABAH): The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on Monday grilled the officials of Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for failing to furnish evidence against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan in a corruption inquiry related to purchase of plots in a housing society at a “throwaway price”.
The court had on Friday suspended Rana Sanaullah’s arrest warrant in the same case and sought the case record from the ACE on Monday.
Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab drew the ire of Lahore High Court Rawalpindu bench over its case against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, with Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan warning to send the anti-corruption watchdog’s additional director general (DG) to jail over incorrect registration of the case.
At the outset of the hearing at LHC’s Rawalpindi bench, Justice Khan expressed his anger against additional DG ACE Punjab and remarked that the warrants of the interior minister were issued over an incorrect statement.
“Why should I not send you to jail for the incorrect registration of the case?” observed the judge. He also asked the whereabouts of the DG ACE Punjab as he was directed to appear in court on Monday.
“You need to present evidence against Rana Sanaullah, where is it? You made Rana Sanaullah Pakistan’s number one proclaimed offender without evidence,” said the judge.
He added that the minister was a buyer of the plot in the housing society in question, adding that the watchdog was registering cases against the buyer instead of protecting him.
At this, the lawyer for ACE Punjab informed the court that the no-objection certificate of the housing society was not issued.
“NOC has no relation to this case. You said Rana Sanaullah bribed to purchase this plot, where is the evidence?” said Justice Khan. He also asked ACE Punjab to prove who bribed Sanaullah.
The court then adjourned the hearing till October 28 and directed DG ACE Punjab to appear in court with the complete record of the case along with full preparation. The court directed the prosecution to furnish evidence to support its claims and adjourned the hearing till Oct 28. The court reprimanded additional DG AEC Punjab on non-appearance of the DG ACE.
Rana Sanaullah had appeared before the LHC after he was summoned by the court. Apart from the minister, the director general of ACE Punjab was also summoned but he did not appear.
Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister for Anti-Corruption retired Brigadier Musaddiq Abbasi had on Oct 8 alleged that Rana Sanaullah took two plots as a “bribe” from an “illegal housing society” — the Bismillah Housing Scheme — in Chakwal district.
The ACE had obtained the minister’s warrant since he allegedly failed to comply with the repeated summons in case registered with the anti-graft body.
Akhlaq Ahmed, the owner of the society, has also been booked for allegedly bribing Rana Sanaullah with a plot to get his society registered, claimed the prosecution.
Musaddiq Abbasi, the Punjab CM’s adviser, said on Oct 8 that the ACE had initiated an inquiry against Sanaullah (in 2017), who was then the Punjab law minister.
“During the investigation, it has been revealed that in the opening ceremony of Bismillah Housing Society, Colony Kallar Kahar, Sanaullah, who was provincial law minister at that time, participated along with his wife. The housing society’s owner gifted Sanaullah two plots measuring 10 kanals as a bribe,” the adviser had said and added the plots in question were transferred to Sanaullah by the society at a much lower than scheduled rate.
Abbasi had also claimed that those two plots were still in the possession of Sanaullah and his wife, which itself was “proof” that he had got these as a bribe by using his official position.
He had said the case was registered in 2019 but the minister did not appear before ACE. “Sanaullah was re-summoned on Oct 6 but he did not appear before the ACE after which non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him,” he had said.
The retired brigadier had said the ACE was taking indiscriminate action against the corrupt elements and no one was above the law.