LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been notified by an accountability court on an application filed by Ahad Khan Cheema, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, seeking his acquittal in a reference related to illegal assets.
Cheema’s application, which Advocate Amjad Pervez presented, argued that NAB made the reference to victimizing the petitioner and that the prosecution failed to present any substantial evidence against him during the trial.
Cheema was arrested by NAB in 2018 in connection with illegal assets and the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme, with an inquiry against him and others regarding alleged corruption in the LDA-City Housing Scheme also underway.
The inquiry was eventually closed after development partners promised to give allottees plots.
Cheema was released from jail in 2021 after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the illegal assets reference.
However, his acquittal application in the housing scheme’s reference is still pending before the trial court.
The case highlights the ongoing legal battle and allegations of corruption in the LDA-City Housing Scheme.
The LDA-City Housing Scheme, launched in 2002, is one of the largest housing projects in Pakistan. However, it has been marred by allegations of corruption and mismanagement over the years.
The court has given NAB a deadline of April 28 to submit its reply to Cheema’s acquittal application. The matter will be further addressed in the upcoming hearings.
