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SC orders govt to write letter to Swiss authorities
The Supreme Court (SC) instructed the government on Tuesday to write a letter to Swiss authorites for reopening the...
Law Minister Babar Awan (C), flanked by Qamar Zaman Kaira (R) and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf(L), talks to the media after appearing at the Supreme Court in Islamabad. (AFP)
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) instructed the government on Tuesday to write a letter to Swiss authorites for reopening the money laundering cases.
The government said it will comply with the court orders.
The Supreme Court resumed hearing of the suo motu notice taken earlier to examine the implementation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) verdict.
The Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, along with other federal ministers, appeared before court to describe the government’s stance on the implementation of the verdict. Awan said the government respects the judiciary and does not want any clash with it.
Justice Nasirul Mulk who is heading the bench observed that the statements given by the government on the case have so far been vague.
Awan claimed that the former Attorney General wrote a letter to Swiss officials without getting an approval by the federal government. He added that the Swiss court announced the case verdict in the absence of the accused.
When questioned about the NAB chairman’s dismissal, Awan said his sacking will take weeks, not months.
The hearing was adjourned till June 10th.
Reader Comments (14)
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Mr. Babar Awan will you please just write that letter and stop wasting everybody’s time. you have better things to do, the judges have better things to do and we (the readers) definitely have better things to do than to read about the same thing over and over again.Recommend
SHAH SAY ZAYADA SHAH KA WAFA-DAAR…..!
ALLAH may save us from such ministers & leaders… AmeenRecommend
Irrespective of who so ever is the head of the country or leads in the parliament, this is one opportunity for every pakistani to support and show that this country was given to us with RESPONSIBILITY, and is NOT FOR SALE.Recommend
Well done Babar Awan, Every PPP worker is behind you, opponents and jealous media persons (who does not want PPP in rule by any means) have given this date last day of PPP government. Supreme court should also take action and develope judiciary in rular area to provide justice to the people on their doors not in months/years but in days.Recommend
Phone call **(PM to CJ)** has settled everything. Now stance of SC will be a mild one.Recommend
I agree with Shahzad. **CJ** is a big politician. Read Upset 2008Recommend
The government never wants the swiss case opened and lets its true face exposed.Recommend
As long as we have people at the top who give greater weight to the interests of their party rather than to principleaa and to national interests, we will never have rule of law.
If they are clean, why are they afraid of writing to the Swiss court, or of facing the national courts. How long will they take cover behind the presidency? The day will surely come when the defendant steps down, and then what will happen? Another deal with the newcomers in power? Another amnesty to wrogndoers. How long will the pakistani people keep being taken for a ride?Recommend
It is just a “co incidence” that author of NRO judgement and author of a letter without lawful authority to swiss govt are brothers,perhaps brothers in faith as well.Recommend
Why they (Zardari & Co) are so afraid of Swiss cases if those Swiss accounts (or 60m$) are not their? A non-guilty verdict form Swiss courts will vindicate his stance. Wont it?Recommend
We are ruled by angles, including CJRecommend
Cotecna is owned by Massey Family.How come the commissioned offered by a foreign family becomes the “AWAMI DOLAT”?How many people really know what exactly is Swiss case?Was the proceedings just an investigation process are a court case?What is the amount involved, 1.5 billion or 60 million $?Can anyone throw some light on the issue to make us understand the whole case?Recommend
Everything is plan, they are actor(including CJ) and we are stupid viewers wasting our time and nothing.
we need revolution like china …Recommend
How About passing the Anti-Money laundering Bill?
On 4th May, users of Payoneer Debit Master Card received an email notifying that due to a change in requirements from their regulators, as of June 1, 2010 Payoneer cards will be blocked for transactions in the countries listed by the US government as having strategic Anti Money Laundering (AML) deficiencies.
This card is used by freelancers all over Pakistan to receive payments for the services they provide in various freelancing sites.
According to an article by Methtab Haider from The News, the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Ordinance lapsed on March 26, 2010 as the bill was not passed by the upper house of parliament, which was prorogued recently, shattering all hopes that Islamabad would come out of the list of countries vulnerable to money laundering.
Asia Pacific Group on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had given Pakistan February 2010 as deadline for formal conversion of the ordinance into the Act of Parliament.
Now, the FATF is scheduled to meet at Amsterdam in June 2010, and the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorist Financing Act from parliament before that could help Pakistan improve its international ranking.
Why is this bill still not passed? Every freelancer, will face difficulties in receiving payments after June 1, 2010 if the bill is not passed, as this was the most efficient way of receiving payments.
I request the upper house of parliament to pass this bill before June 1, as the National Assembly had already passed the AML bill but the bill could not be passed from the Senate.Recommend