ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Monday deferred indictment of former Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla and others in Kidney Hills reference for June 10 after a co-accused sought exemption from the proceedings on medical grounds.

An alleged frontman of Saleem Mandviwalla in the case, Abdul Qadir filed for exemption from the indictment proceedings citing a surgery he underwent recently.

Judge Muhammad Bashir, who was heading the proceedings, said that everyone should appear before the court during the indictment as Abdul Qadir’s counsel asked the court to indict his client via video link.

“Abdul Qadir has undergone a surgery on May 11 and is unable to appear before the court as doctors have advised him to take rest for a month,” the counsel said while presenting the medical reports before the court.

The judge accepted the plea and directed him to appear before the court in the next proceedings on June 10. Saleem Mandviwalla and other suspects were also directed to appear before the court in the next proceedings as they were allowed to leave after marking their attendance in the courtroom.

Illegal land allotments

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against ex-Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla in an illegal land allotments case on January 13.

The anti-graft watchdog in its reference stated the accused sold government plots to Abdul Ghani Majeed – son of Omni Group chief Anwar Majeed.

According to NAB, Mandviwalla had purchased fake shares in the name of his frontman by selling the plots.

The national graft buster had also submitted a report to the court which stated that former PIA managing director Aijaz Haroon had also played a key role in selling illegal plots to Abdul Ghani Majeed.

The NAB had nominated Saleem Mandviwalla, Aijaz Haroon, Abdul Ghani Majeed and Tariq Mehmood as offenders in the reference.