RAWALPINDI: Judge Ijaz Ali of the Special Accountability Court No 1, Rawalpindi, has rejected the post-arrest bail application of Muhammad Jamal, brother and co-accused of a nominated deputy director finance, in the Rs2.3 billion Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) mega corruption case.
The court ruled that, in light of evidence of financial irregularities against the accused under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010, he was not entitled to any concession. In a written decision, the court stated that, according to the NAB investigation, Rs1,940 million were transferred in the name of a frontman through illegal and bogus call deposit receipts (CDRs) and fake transactions carried out via the RDA’s account at the National Bank, Rawalpindi.
The court noted that Rs397.279 million were laundered and transferred to a private company named ADDED. The investigation revealed that the accused allegedly used the embezzled funds to purchase a luxury house in a private housing society, agricultural land in Gujar Khan and Sohawa, and other valuable assets, including a Toyota Fortuner (registration No TAJ-313).
The court held that these acts constitute punishable offences under Sections 3 and 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010 and dismissed the bail application.
In his plea, Muhammad Jamal maintained that he had been falsely implicated, stating that he had spent five months in jail, including two months in NAB custody, and that investigators had failed to produce solid evidence. He requested the court to grant bail and order his release.
It is worth mentioning that the main accused in the case, RDA Deputy Director Finance Muhammad Junaid Taj, has already passed away, while more than 20 accused, including several RDA officers, have been nominated in the case.
