LHCBA says impunity unacceptable

‘Neither prime minister nor judge must escape accountability’

LAHORE: A general house meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Friday called for across-the-board accountability of those named in Panama Papers, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and a judge of the high court.

The house passed three resolutions on the matter. It was announced that a committee would be constituted to probe into alleged corruption of a son of the chief justice of Pakistan.



Advocates Allah Bakhsh Gondal, Raheel Kamran Cheema and Malik Zeeshan Ahmad moved the resolutions, demanding accountability of all politicians, judges, army officials, bureaucrats and others named in Panama papers.

LHCBA president Rana Zia Abdul Rehman, secretary Anas Ghazi, former presidents of the bar Abid Saqi and Ahmad Awais, Supreme Court Bar Association secretary Asad Manzoor Butt, former Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir, Azam Nazir Tarar and others addressed the house.

The speakers said the Panama leaks had revealed details of an offshore company owned by Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan of the LHC but no action had been taken against him.

They said the Supreme Judicial Council should take action against the judge under Article 209 of the Constitution.

The speakers also expressed concerns over the rudeness of LHC judges towards young lawyers. The bar secretary put the resolutions before the house. The resolutions were passed unanimously.

Panama Papers: Blood is thicker than water

Yawar Khan—the brother of Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Farrukh Khan—said on Friday that his brother had remitted a hefty amount of foreign exchange to Pakistan instead of funnelling money abroad.



In a statement, Yawar said his brother had resigned from his business when he became a judge in 2010. He said he had only executed a gift in favour of his daughter and other relatives abroad. In the wake of recent events, Yawar said, a deliberate attempt had been made to further the impression that his brother had established offshore companies and funnelled money abroad while being a sitting judge. He said his brother was not in a position to halt the campaign against him as he was a judge. Since his brother’s silence had been misconstrued, Yawar said, the family thought it was mandatory to highlight facts.

He said his brother had a stellar record in intellectual property law both in the nation and abroad. As a noted lawyer, Yawar said, he had been giving his counsel to several top conglomerates.  He said his brother had transferred his share in a local law firm to relatives due to unavoidable professional commitments abroad and concentrated on them. This, Yawar said, gave him a name, clients and wealth.

He said his brother had transferred a substantial portion of his foreign earnings to Pakistan. This, Yawar said, he was not obliged to do. He said he had floated some offshore companies around 2001-2004 to procure property. Yawar said some of these properties had been mortgaged through legal loans from foreign banks. He said all of this preceded his brother’s elevation as a judge in 2010.



On being notified as a judge, Yawar said, his brother who was abroad at that time had returned to the nation and relinquished his business interests. He said he had only executed a gift in favour of his daughter and some relatives in this respect. In conclusion, Yawar called for “unnecessary discussion vis-à-vis Farrukh to cease.”

Following the Panama revelations, a petition was filed before the Supreme Judicial Council seeking the initiation of action against Justice Farrukh under Article-209 of the Constitution. The judge has been accused of laundering money, abusing power and accumulating illegal assets. Reportedly, two companies registered in British Virgin Islands were linked to Justice Farrukh and his daughter. The record of Anrol Limited, registered on April 14, 2000, shows that Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan and Maria Farrukh Irfan Khan have served/are serving as its directors. Same is the case with Tramalin Limited, incorporated on July 24, 2003.

Farrukh was appointed Tramalin’s director on October 18, 2004 and resigned on July 1, 2012 two years after taking oath as a judge on February 20, 2010.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2016.