Lahore court convicts Hafiz Saeed in 2 terror-financing cases

Lahore, Feb 12 (IANS) A Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday convicted Mumbai blast mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed in two terror-financing cases.Saeed has been convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act Section 11-F(2) - pertaining to membership, support and meetings relating to a proscribed organisation - and 11-N (punishment under Sections 11-H [fund raising] to 11-K [money laundering]), reported Dawn.ATC judge Arshad Hussain Bhatta announced the verdict. He has been sentenced to prison for five and a half years and a fine of Rs 15,000 in each case. The sentences in both the cases will run concurrently. The court also granted him the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (reduction of period of sentence of imprisonment).The court directed the authorities to keep Saeed in custody until further orders.The cases were filed by the Counter-Terrorism Department's (CTD) Lahore and Gujranwala chapters. The case filed by the CTD's Gujranwala chapter was initially being heard in a Gujranwala ATC but was shifted to Lahore on the directions of the Lahore High Court.
--IANS rt/bg