LAHORE – In another endorsement of the sluggish judicial system in the country, a line assistant of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), accused of receiving merely Rs 300 as a bribe, walked free from court after a staggering 17 years.
The accused Muhammad Ali was associated with Gulshan e Ravi exchange of the state-owned telecommunication company when he was caught red-handed while taking a bribe, following which a case was lodged against him in 2001.
According to the prosecutor Muhammad Zubair, Ali was found guilty of his crime during the course of investigations. The prosecutor named Tariq Mehmood as the complainant.
However, the judge of the special central court, Muhammad Rafique acquitted the accused after a span of 17 years.
The judge remarked that not only the prosecution failed to prove his case but the recovered booty was also used up by the officials of malkhana (storehouse of case properties).
‘As the plaintiff, Tariq Mehmood has also failed to show up before the court, the accused is set free’ remarked the judge.
