Memogate scandal: Commission orders forensic test of Ijaz's BlackBerry

Commission secretary Raja Jawad Abbas to go to London for forensic tests. Requests SC for commission's term...


Obaid Abbasi May 05, 2012

ISLAMABAD: The judicial commission probing the Memogate scandal on Saturday, has decided to send its secretary to London for conducting forensic tests on Mansoor Ijaz’s Blackberry phone and computer. This act though prompted Husain Haqqani’s counsel to boycott the commission proceedings.

After three days consecutive proceeding of the commission headed by Justice Qazi Faiz Esa at Islamabad High Court (IHC), the commission has directed its secretary Raja Jawad Abbas to travel to London to carry out forensic examination of Ijaz’s phone allegedly used for receiving and transmitting communication in the preparation of alleged memo.

The commission’s order stated that the secretary and the parties may be present at the time of forensic examination and directed the counsel to provide the telephone numbers to the secretary.

The commission directed that a forensic expert will carry out the test without any interference of the parties. The expert will then file report of his findings, which should be in simple language along with an affidavit.

It further observed that commission is due to expire on May 12, 2012. On this account, the secretary requested the Supreme Court (SC) to provide an extension to the commission, since it is not known how long the expert will take to compile the forensic examinations report.

Meanwhile Sajid Tanoli who replaced Zahid Bukhari as the counsel for Husain Haqqani, opposed the Commission’s decision of conducting forensic examination, arguing that the examination should have been conducted during the cross examination of Mansoor Ijaz in London earlier in the year. The commission however rejected his request.

The commission also rejected the application of Tanoli in which he sought to enter into case records some documents including a reply from BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM), and an additional medical certificate, on the grounds that they were unsigned and were photocopies of originals.

Earlier Akram Sheikh Counsel of the Mansoor Ijaz said that his client is willing to provide his BlackBerry phones and computer to the commission for examination. However, he claimed that Husain Haqqani had filed a damages suit against his clients in US and a legal notice has been sent to his client in the US. Sheikh said that the BlackBerry sets were needed for his defense and if he provides them for forensic examination, he would not have any defence evidence in the defamation case.

Meanwhile, Tanoli maintained that he was unaware of any legal notices served to Mansoor Ijaz in the US on behalf of his client.

 

COMMENTS (5)

Sandip | 11 years ago | Reply

The judiciary should seriously take a look at this commission. This is turning Pakistan and it's institutions into a laughing stock around the world. If this isn't a banana republic, what is?

Mirza | 11 years ago | Reply

The PCO judges of the poor country are wheeling and dealing with the big boys. They have provided all the justice to people in Pakistan now it is the turn of other nations and their citizens like Mansoor Ijaz to get the required justice from Pakistani judges. When the rightwing parties are openly supporting and raising slogans in favor of the PCO CJ, then where is the neutral judgement? Why is this SC sitting on the contempt case of Nawz when his party attacked the SC? Just because its CJ was Shah and not Choudhry? When is Asghar Khan's case ever going to be decided?

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