The Supreme Court of Pakistan has acquitted Sardar Hussain, a former deputy secretary of the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB), in a corruption case originally filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). A three-member bench, led by Justice Athar Minallah, issued a detailed 14-page judgment that set aside the convictions from both the trial court and the Peshawar High Court. The apex court ruled that the prosecution had completely failed to prove the corruption charges against him.
In its verdict, the bench stated that the offence under the National Accountability Ordinance had not been made out and that Hussain’s case “merits acquittal.” The court extended the benefit of doubt in his favour, consequently annulling the previous judgments. It is pertinent to note that Hussain had already been released from jail after having fully served his original prison sentence.
The court’s ruling highlighted that neither Hussain nor his family had derived any financial benefit from the alleged irregularities. The judgment pointed to the confession of PTB cashier Aleem Mehmood, who admitted to forging bogus cheques and embezzling funds from the board’s accounts. Internal inquiries conducted by the board had also previously exonerated Hussain of wrongdoing.
The case dates back to 2015 when an accountability court sentenced Hussain to three years in prison and imposed a heavy fine over alleged financial irregularities. This conviction was upheld by the Peshawar High Court in 2018, though the fine was reduced. The Supreme Court’s final ruling concluded that the lapses attributed to Hussain were merely procedural irregularities and did not constitute corruption, leading to his full acquittal from all charges.
