One Constitution Avenue: IHC allows FIA to continue probe

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court directed on Monday the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to proceed ‘as per law’ while probing alleged corruption in the land lease granted to the One Constitution Avenue (OCA) case.

A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb allowed the FIA to continue with its investigations into a case where the agency had booked several officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the BNP consortium.

In the FIR, the FIA had stated that some officials had allegedly wrongfully gained around Rs25 billion while causing a massive financial loss to the government by committing fraud, forgery, criminal breach of trust impersonation and misuse of official position.

Previously the court had allowed the FIA to conditionally continue its probe into alleged corruption in the lease granted. However, the investigation agency was barred from arresting any of the petitioners in the case till an intra-court appeal (ICA) filed by the BNP group was decided.

The bench had modified its previous order – issued in response to a petition filed by the BNP group on February 23, 2016, seeking a stay on investigations – which restrained the FIA from proceeding against those responsible for allegedly giving undue relaxation to the lessee.

Earlier, the court had barred the FIA and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting the former CDA chairman Kamran Lashari and other officials of the civic body over their alleged involvement in extending “undue favours” to owners of the OCA.

The former CDA officials had sought temporary relief in the case requesting the court to direct the FIA and NAB not to arrest them as they assured the court of their cooperation with the investigators.

On July 29, 2016, the CDA had cancelled the 99-year lease for the 13.45-acre plot, located adjacent to the Convention Centre, which was handed over to BNP group through an auction on March 9, 2005.

A single-member bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah had dismissed BNP’s appeal against the lease termination on March 3, 2017.

The BNP group, though, had filed an ICA against a single bench’s decision of cancelling the land lease of the OCA’s under-construction building – meant for the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Following the hearing, the case was adjourned for June 22.

Source: The Express Tribune