PHC dismisses bail plea of convicted police official

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday dismissed the bail petition of former deputy superintendent of police Rajab Ali and said his appeal against conviction would be decided within two months.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Syed Afsar Shah dismissed the petition.The accountability court sentenced the former deputy superintendent of police, Rajab Ali, to seven years rigorous imprisonment and Rs14.68 million fine for possessing illegal assets on February 8.

Judge Zarqesh Sani also handed down five years rigorous imprisonment to him for producing forged documents to sell land to the co-accused, Lateef Hussain. Both the sentences will run concurrently.

Through the bail petition, the convicted police officer prayed the court to suspend the conviction and release him on bail till a decision on his appeal against conviction in the court.During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer submitted that the property matter in which the police officer was convicted was the jurisdiction of civil court and the accountability court had no jurisdiction to decide the case related to civil matter.

He also submitted that the petitioner belonged to a rich family and it was family property and he had not acquired it through illegal means.However, assistant advocate general, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, opposed his release on bail.

The National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had arrested Rajab Ali on April 18, 2014,when he was a DSP in Mardan district. He was charged with possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of his income.

Separate inquiries were conducted against the prime accused by the NAB and the police after the Peshawar High Court took notice of his alleged illegal activities and misuse of powers in 2012.

The high court had taken notice of those activities after several cases of illegal detention of suspects surfaced. The NAB had alleged that both the accused persons co-owned precious land in Taxila.

It said the accused also tried to mislead the investigation team by preparing a forged document showing the co-accused, Lateef Hussain, had purchased 80 kanals of land valuing Rs14.087 million from Rajab Ali and his family in Kurram Agency. However, his appeal against conviction is pending in the high court.