Farooq Sattar sentenced to 14 years for corruption

The News
International

15 July 2000

ATTOCK: The anti-corruption court on Saturday sentenced Farooq Sattar, former minister and ex-mayor of Karachi, to 14 years jail on charges of corruption, officials said.

Judge Farrukh Latif also ordered Sattar to pay a fine of 50 million rupees (961,538 dollars) over a rail and road contract in 1997-98. Sattar, a key leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of losing the national exchequer about 35 million rupees in the deal. He has also been declared ineligible to participate in general elections for 21 years.

The court also sentenced a co-accused, Anzar Zaidi, former administrator of the Karachi Municipal Corporation, to 10 years jail and a fine of five million rupees. Both face an extra three years in prison if they fail to pay the fine, the judge said.

He said he would file an appeal against the judgement. Under the NAB law, Sattar has 10 days to appeal the verdict at a higher court.