BRT contractors case: PHC releases detailed verdict in unfreezing of bank accounts

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Saturday released a 24-page detailed judgement ordering unfreezing bank accounts and other assets of the contractors of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

The two-member bench of the PHC comprising Justice Ejaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali had earlier issued a short order against the freezing of the bank accounts and other assets of the BRT contractors and had declared it illegal.

Justice Arshad Ali has written the detailed verdict spanning over 24 pages.

One of the petitions was filed by a number of companies and their directors including joint ventures of Chinese and Pakistani construction firms, who were awarded contracts for three portions of the BRT project by the government.

They had challenged freezing of their 75 bank accounts and two plots by NAB on March 13 and subsequent confirmation of that order by an accountability court during an ongoing investigation accusing them of corruption in the project.

The petitioners had also included three directors of companies against whom the action was taken by NAB. They included Amir Latif and Imran Latif of Ch A. Latif and Sons (Calsons) and Syed Masood Hussain Shah of Maqbool Associates.

The 75 accounts are in different banks and they are in the names of Maqbool Associates, Calsons, M/S Sichuan Province Geological Engineering Complex (SGEC), Maqbool-Calsons JV, etc.

Similarly, the second petition was filed by a company LMK Resources Pakistan, which is having a contract of information technology-related functions of BRT project including tickets operations, safety and security system and customer services, etc.

That petitioner had requested the court to declare as illegal the order of freezing of its two bank accounts by NAB director general, Peshawar, on April 4, 2024, and subsequent confirmation of the order by accountability court on April 18, 2024.

Shumail Ahmad Batt advocate, Barrister Qasim Wadud and Babar Yousafzai had pleaded the case for the petitioners.

NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Azeemdad and senior special prosecutor Mohammad Ali had appeared for NAB. During the course of hearing, the bench had observed that NAB’s attitude towards citizens, especially political public office holders, kept shifting with change of government.