Beware citizens - misappropriation of even Rs141,936.7 could drag you into 26 years worth of criminal litigation.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday dismissed the appeal of ex-incharge of a utility store who was booked for misappropriating Rs141,936 in 1983 and sentenced to five years imprisonment on September 27, 1995. The court, however, reduced the sentence of the appellant to one year that he underwent during 1995 to 1996. In the end, the criminal litigation of the convict has come to an end after 26 years.

The criminal proceedings against Abul Munir started when FIA booked him in 1983 for criminal breach of a trust and misappropriation of goods and material of a store situated at PIA Colony during his tenure as incharge of the store from April 1, 1982, to June 15 and July 1 to August 25, 1982.

He was tried by the Anti-Corruption Court in Karachi which convicted him after finding him guilty of breach of trust and misappropriation and sentenced him to five years in prison with fine of Rs150,000 on September 27, 1995. The convict, who was on bail during the trial, was remanded to jail to serve the sentence.

The appellant, who pleaded not guilty during the trial, challenged the conviction in SHC in November 1995. During pending of appeal, Munir, who also served one year sentence, moved a bail application, which was subsequently granted and the SHC suspended his sentence and released him on bail on September 9, 1996.

The appeal however remained pending for almost 13 years in the Sindh High Court with almost 100 hearings by different single benches of the SHC.

The matter was finally taken up before the SHC’s single bench for hearing. Appellant’s counsel Mufti Bashir submitted that the offence is pertained to 1982 and the appellant has been facing the agony of criminal proceedings for the last 26 years.

The counsel said that the appellant already remained in jail for more than one year and he was also dismissed from his service therefore his sentence should be reduced and pardoned.

The court, after hearing the case, dismissed the appeal, but, keeping in view the old age and agony of the trial, reduced the sentence of the appellant that he already underwent

and ordered the return of the bail surety of the appellant. For Abul Munir, it was finally over after 26 years.