SC verdict expected in petitions against NRO
The chief justice also censured both Chairman NAB Naveed Ahsan and Acting Attorney-General Shah Khawer for not rendering proper information to the court. — Photo by APP
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will come up with an authoritative pronouncement on the controversial NRO at 4:30 pm as all the legal counsels have completed their arguments.
On Wednesday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said that when the presidency and the government have already denied withdrawal of money laundering cases pending in Swiss courts whether or not former Attorney-General Malik Qayyum was equally responsible for causing loss to the nation.
The observation came after Principle Secretary to the President Salman Farooqui submitted a statement signed by two responsible officers of the president house that there was no record of initiating proceeding of withdrawal of cases pending before Swiss magistrate.
The chief justice also censured both Chairman NAB Naveed Ahsan and Acting Attorney-General Shah Khawer for not rendering proper information to the court.
‘Probably you have not realised the importance of the case. This is our duty to protect national wealth,’ the chief justice observed.
The NAB Chairman was required to sign the list the authority provided suggesting details of cases against the accused with a warning in case the information later proved to be incorrect.
Earlier Wednesday, the Supreme Court summoned the Principle Secretary to the President and Law Secretary Riaz Kiani with the complete record to ascertain from where the initiative to withdraw the money laundering cases before the Swiss magistrate originated.
The instructions were issued by the 17-member bench of the Supreme Court hearing challenges against the NRO after questioning Acting Attorney-General Shah Khawer who wanted to submit a report showing how the Swiss cases were withdrawn to comply a Sindh High Court judgment and to obey the instruction of the former president.
However, he was corrected by the bench that at that time the former president’s government was in power.
Mr Farooqui told the Supreme Court that the presidency has no files to suggest how the request was originated to withdraw the money laundering cases pending before the Swiss magistrate. He was asked to submit in writing what he had said.
Likewise, Secretary Law Riaz Kiani told the court that Farooq Naek, now Chairman Senate, had sent a request to the Law Ministry in October 2007 to withdraw cases from Switzerland, UK and New Jersey but was told by the then Law Minister Zahim Hamid to contact the foreign ministry as it was out of the law ministry’s ambit.
Besides, the NRO was also pending before the Supreme Court and unless decided upon, no action can be taken. Moreover a reference by a private individual can not be entertained, the Law Secretary said while reading the response of the ministry.
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