Islamabad:Five individuals who were allegedly involved in the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) fake appointment case were taken into custody after the dismissal of their interim bail by the Special Judge FIA Court, Hamayoun Dilawar, on Monday.
The accused include former Manager Accounts Arshad Majeed, his son Taimoor Arshad, Saad Yousaf, Qaiser Javed and Fawad Khan. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated the case, alleging the involvement of the accused in facilitating fraudulent appointments within the APP.
Investigation Officer Ehtesham Gondal opposed the pre-arrest bail petitions, arguing that sufficient evidence had been collected to substantiate the charges. The court, after hearing the arguments, rejected the pleas and ordered the arrest of the accused.
Representing APP, lawyer Hussnain Haider Thaheem argued that Arshad Majeed played a pivotal role in enabling the disbursement of salaries to 20 individuals appointed without legitimate documentation.
He informed the court that the investigation revealed irregularities that pointed to systematic misuse of authority, with Arshad Majeed allegedly at the canter of the scheme. Thaheem further requested the court to include the names of former Assistant of Accounts Moazzam Javed Khokhar and former Manager HR Khawaja Asif in the FIR.
He claimed their roles required further scrutiny to ensure accountability and fairness in the investigation. The FIA had earlier stated that the fake appointments caused a significant financial loss to the APP and undermined transparency in its recruitment processes.
The agency continued its investigation to identify additional individuals involved in the alleged fraud. It is to be mentioned that the FIA had registered an FIR against 20 individuals who were fraudulently appointed by Moazzam Javed Khokhar, Haseeb Ahsan, Former Manager HR and Afzal Hans by using fake signatures of Managing Director APP, and other officers.
They also allegedly took huge amounts from the accused as bribes for illegally appointing them in APP by misusing their authority and causing massive financial loss to the public exchequer. The court’s decision marked a critical step in addressing the issue, with further hearings expected to focus on the evidence presented by the FIA.
