Court extends remand of former Yellow Line BRT project director in PKR 8.5B graft case
Karachi court extends physical remand of former Yellow Line BRT project director Zamir Abbasi by three days in the Rs8.5 billion corruption case
News Desk
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A provincial anti-corruption court in Karachi extended the physical remand of former Yellow Line BRT project director Zamir Abbasi by three days on Tuesday, in a case involving alleged corruption of PKR 8.5 billion.
The court also rejected his request for release from custody.
What is the Yellow Line BRT corruption case?
The case centers on Zamir Abbasi, a grade-19 Sindh government officer who served as project director of the Karachi Mobility Project, which oversees construction of the BRT Yellow Line.
Authorities allege that PKR 8.5 billion was paid in advance to contractors during the project's construction. The allegations led to an Anti-Corruption Establishment investigation and Abbasi's eventual arrest.
Why was Zamir Abbasi arrested?
Abbasi was arrested in Lahore in June after authorities said he had been evading arrest for several weeks. He was later brought to Karachi, where the Anti-Corruption Establishment obtained his custody.
The custody was granted in connection with the advance payments allegedly made to contractors on the Yellow Line project.
What happened during Tuesday's court hearing?
Journalists were removed from the courtroom after court staff acted on the judge's instructions, according to court proceedings. Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq represented Abbasi and argued that the investigating officer in the case was also the complainant. He questioned how the same person could serve in both roles.
The defense also argued that the case did not involve personal financial gain or corruption on Abbasi's part. No record was presented showing who allegedly benefited from the payments, the defense said. The judge reportedly expressed surprise over the performance of the Anti-Corruption Establishment's investigating officer during the proceedings.
What did the defense argue about political motives?
Ashfaq further argued that the case created the impression that the charges against Abbasi stemmed from the displeasure of a senior provincial government figure.
He added that "time may reveal who that is." The court did not rule on this claim and instead extended Abbasi's physical remand by three days.
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