A local court on Saturday extended the physical remand of seven suspects in the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) mega corruption case, where financial irregularities worth Rs 1.2 billion are under investigation.
Civil Judge/Judicial Magistrate Ahmad Shehzad Gondal ordered the accused — Ghawas Khan, Idrees Chaudhry, Imran Munir, Tahir Ghumman, Sajid Ali Warraich, Azhar Farooq and Khurram Shehzad — to remain in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for another three days. This was the second extension, as the same suspects had earlier been given to FIA on a three-day remand.
The FIA had sought 11 days of further custody, arguing that custodial interrogation was still required to recover missing records, trace financial trails, and identify additional beneficiaries. The investigation officer, Muhammad Junaid, told the court that the accused executed illegal transactions through APP accounts, including those linked with the Holiday Inn, and even withdrew Provident Fund (PF) savings without authorization.
Counsel for APP, Advocates Rohail Asghar and Hasnain Haider Thaheem, supported the FIA’s position, alleging that the accused prepared fake vouchers to deceive auditors and siphoned off nearly Rs 1 billion. Thaheem pointed out that while APP employs around 850 staff with a monthly wage bill of Rs 45 million, the accused transferred Rs 115 million in a single month, pocketing an excess Rs 70 million. He said the money was initially pooled into one account and later distributed among the accused.
The defense, however, contested the allegations. Advocate Kashif Gorsi, representing Idrees Chaudhry, claimed his client was not a main beneficiary, asserting that Rs 150 million had been funneled into the accounts of Arshad Majeed Chaudhry, Azhar Farooq, and Ghulam Murtaza. Similarly, counsel for Tahir Ghumman argued that the real beneficiaries were Arshad Majeed Chaudhry, Azhar Farooq, and Sajid Warraich, insisting Ghumman had no role in the direct transfers.
The FIA has so far registered cases against 16 suspects, including senior officers and staff of the state-run news agency. Early investigations revealed fake vouchers, unauthorized transactions, and misuse of institutional accounts.
The seven accused will remain in FIA custody until the next hearing.
