LDA City scam: Paragon City, Alpha played brokers’ role, says CJP

LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday directed the Punjab minister for housing, the chief secretary and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to come up with a plan to compensate affectees of the LDA-City Housing Scheme.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing complaints of people who purchased files of the LDA-City but never got plots or their money back.

The chief justice observed that all bureaucrats and heads of developer companies would have been jailed if the hard earned money of widows and orphans had not been involved in this case. He said the owners of Paragon City, Alpha and other companies had become brokers in the whole episode.

The legal advisor of the LDA told the bench that the development partners/companies were willing to acquire and hand over the remaining land to the authority in two to three years.

He pointed out that the development companies had sold 9,000 extra files, therefore, 20,000-Kanal more land was required to allot plots to the affectees. He said the LDA had been provided 19,000 Kanals by the companies but it was scattered.

He said Phase-I of the scheme could be completed if 5,000-Kanal more land was given to the LDA. However, he said the LDA wanted the companies to complete the task at the earliest.

The chief justice directed the LDA to cancel the agreement if the companies fail to provide the required land within one year. Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the other member on the bench, observed why the LDA didn’t complete the project itself as it would restore confidence in people. However, the legal advisor said the LDA did not have funds to acquire the land on its own.

LDA Director General Amina Imran Khan said the companies acquired C-category land for the housing scheme. The chief justice asked her to get criminal cases lodged against the owners of the companies.

When asked, a NAB counsel told the court that Nadeem Zia, head of Paragon City, escaped abroad and process had been initiated for his arrest. He said red warrants for the arrest of Zia would be issued within 15 days. However, he said the whereabouts of Zia were still unknown.

The chief justice directed the minister for housing, the chief secretary, the NAB and other authorities to submit within ten days a compensation plan for the affectees and decide whether to give them plots or return their money.