An anti-corruption court (ATC) has issued bailable warrants for Cooperative Societies Sindh Registrar Abdul Wajid Shaikh, Cooperative Societies-I Assistant Registrar Nazir Ahmed Abro, Cooperative Department Secretary Nawaz Soho, Bahadurabad SHO Naveed Soomro and three others in a case pertaining to alleged illegal possession of an amenity plot.
Special Judge Muhammad Aminullah Siddiqui took cognisance of alleged offences punishable under the Sections 161 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect to an official act), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the seven proposed accused.
The judge took cognisance on a direct complaint filed by Muhammad Naeem, managing director of the Karachi Cooperative Housing Societies Union Ltd, a union and central organisation of 24 cooperative housing societies. The court issued bailable warrants for the proposed accused in the sum of Rs50,000 each and put off the case to February 23 for further proceedings.
The complainant claimed that on February 28, 2025, an amenity plot owned by the KCHS Union was illegally occupied through an ‘illegal search warrant’ allegedly issued by the Sindh Cooperative Societies registrar. He added that Abro, who was appointed the administrator of the Kokan Muslim Cooperative Housing Society at the time, along with proposed accused — Cooperative Inspector Jahanzeb Baloch, clerks Arman Kausar and Syed Azam and other staff members with the help of the Bahadurabad SHO came to the plot in question and illegally occupied it.
Zahid Ali Meerani, assistant director of Anti-Corruption Establishment, submitted an inquiry report to the court, stating that the plot in question had been vacated and the search warrant as well as posting order of Abro as the administrator of the Kokan Muslim CHS had been withdrawn.
Filing objections to the inquiry report, the complainant’s lawyer requested the court to take strict action against the proposed accused for allegedly involved in illegal occupation of the plot worth billions of rupees through an illegal search warrant issued on the basis of forged documents.
