Court returns Raisani's plea bargain application

Court returns Raisani's plea bargain application  

QUETTA: An accountability court in Quetta on Monday returned the plea bargain application of former finance secretary Mushtaq Raisani following his offer to return Rs 2 billion, a local news website revealed on Monday.

Judge Abdul Majeed Nasar of Accountability Court II returned the application with objections after hearing the investigation officer and the prosecutor.

According to NAB sources, around four to five objections were pointed out by the court.

On December 30, 2016 an accountability court asked NAB investigation officer and prosecutor to submit record regarding Raisani's plea bargain agreement.

NAB announced on December 23, 2016 that it intended to file references against Raisani and contractor Sohail Majeed Shah despite approval of a plea bargain deal with the accused in a mega corruption case.

Earlier, NAB accepted the accused's plea bargain applications after they offered to return Rs 2 billion to the national exchequer.

Raisani was taken into custody on May 6, 2016 after a NAB team seized confidential documents and Rs 603 million in cash in a raid at his residence. According to NAB authorities, Raisani and Majeed had submitted plea bargain applications which were approved during the conference of the executive board with NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry in the chair in Islamabad. The accused, who have confessed to their crime, are willing to return Rs 2 billion.

Rs 2.25 billion had been released for the local government development - but the lion's share was allegedly embezzled by Raisani and his cronies.