FIA allowed to arrest Unity Foods’ CEO in graft case

Dawn reported that the Sindh High Court has suspended a magistrate's order that had discharged Muhammad Farrukh Amin Godil, chief executive of Unity Foods Limited, in a graft case. The bench allowed the Federal Investigation Agency to take him into custody for questioning. Any later bail granted in the case would carry no legal force, the court held.

The magistrate had refused the FIA's request for physical remand on Aug 30, after discharging Godil, who leads a listed business active in edible oil and rice. The state, through Additional Attorney General Barrister Mohsin Shahwani, challenged that decision by arguing it wrongly relied on an April ruling by the high court, which it said had no link to this case. The bench observed that the magistrate could merely approve or decline the remand plea, nothing more.

According to the FIR, the suspect allegedly diverted Rs5.318 million of entrusted funds to his mother, Fehmida Amin, on the pretext of a loan. The FIA registered the case on a reference from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, which also cited an internal analysis showing roughly Rs44.7 billion in gaps against the company's published accounts and internal SAP records. The suspect had earlier obtained interim pre-arrest bail until Sept 14, and the court has served him notice for Sept 30.