QUETTA: A local court on Saturday sent Balochistan Finance Secretary Mushtaq Ahmed Raisani on a remand for 14 days. Raisani was produced before the court by National Accountability Bureau.

Raisani was handed over to NAB on a 14 day remand by Judicial Magistrate one Quetta Muhammad Hanif.

Strict security measures were taken by the administration while producing the accused in court.

NAB on Friday had recovered more than Rs730 million from the residence of Raisani, who was arrested earlier in the day.

Raisani had been accused of embezzling billions of rupees from local government development funds, a senior NAB official, who did not want to be named, told media.

NAB recovered bags filled with local and foreign currency from Raisani’s residence.

Sources told media that according to initial count around Rs730 million worth of currency and prize bonds have been recovered from the serving bureaucrat’s residence.

Raisani was arrested during a a raid at his office in the civil secretariat on Friday.

Raisani, an influential bureaucrat in Balochistan, has served as secretary finance for the last few years. He served in same position during the PPP government’s term.

After a string of arrests in Sindh, this is the first high profile arrest made by the accountability body in Balochistan during the PML-N government’s term as it seeks to unearth corruption worth billions of rupees in the provincial finance department’s development funds.

After the episode, Balochistan government announced suspension of Mushtaq Raisani in a late night notification.The notification explained that the secretary finance was suspended following his arrest by National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Balochistan government spokesperson told media that the provincial government will fully co-operate with NAB during investigation against Raisani.