Sindh High Court grants bail to Zamir Abbasi in BRT Yellow Line corruption case

The Sindh High Court on Friday granted bail to Zamir Abbasi, former director of Karachi’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Yellow Line project, in a corruption case involving alleged financial irregularities.

The case is the latest development in investigations into advance payments worth Rs8.5 billion ($30 million) to contractors.

What are the bail terms for Zamir Abbasi?

The court approved bail for Abbasi in a case involving alleged embezzlement through benami accounts, which are accounts held in the names of other people.

It set surety bonds of Rs500,000 and ordered his release if he is not wanted in any other case.

Who is Zamir Abbasi and what is he accused of?

Abbasi, a grade-19 provincial government officer, served as project director of the Karachi Mobility Project, which is overseeing construction of the BRT Yellow Line. The corruption allegations relate to advance payments of Rs8.5 billion made to contractors during construction.

The payments prompted an investigation by Sindh’s Anti-Corruption Establishment, which subsequently arrested Abbasi. His lawyer, Kunwar Raj Ali Wahid, rejected the allegations as baseless.

What legal proceedings has Zamir Abbasi faced?

Abbasi was arrested in Lahore in June after authorities said he had been evading arrest for several weeks. He was later transferred to Karachi, where the Anti-Corruption Establishment obtained his custody in connection with the alleged advance payments.

Abbasi had secured bail in the Rs8.5 billion corruption case in September, but was subsequently arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a separate corruption case, according to reports at the time.

Wahid said his client was arrested in that other case after securing bail in the earlier one. Abbasi has also been granted bail in the Yellow Line corruption case.