Hajj scam case: Court tells government to remove DG FIA

Order follows Ahmed’s statement that he had asked for removal for failing to investigate five secretaries.

The Supreme Court (SC) has directed the government to remove the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) director-general from the probe into the Hajj corruption scam.

In a hearing on Tuesday, the SC also told the attorney-general of Pakistan to inform the court within three days on the government’s progress on the directive.

The order came after FIA chief Waseem Ahmed informed the court that he had requested the government to relieve him of duty as he had failed to call five secretaries for investigation.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed that no one would be spared if Ahmed remained a part of the investigation team and the case was spoiled.

However, the court appreciated the government’s move to repay 700 Saudi Riyals to the pilgrims who were denied adequate accommodation facilities in Mina, despite having paid for it.

FIA Investigation Officer Hussain Asghar told the court that the bank accounts of former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and former director-general of Hajj operations Rao Shakeel could not be traced in Pakistan.

The court was also provided a recorded statement of Interior Minister Rehman Malik about taking Shakeel’s name off the Exit Control List (ECL), citing that his visit to Saudi Arabia was needed after his appointment.

Advocate Latif Khosa, who is representing Kazmi, told the court that Shakeel’s name was removed through an SMS, meaning that the interior secretary had done it. The CJP, however, observed that according to Malik’s statement, he was authorised to remove a name from the ECL while according to ECL laws, the authority rests with the secretary. The court also reminded Khosa that he was to represent Kazmi and not defend the interior minister.

Afnan Kundi, counsel for former minister for science and technology Azam Swati, submitted that they had not been given details of the accused’s bank accounts while the investigation officer also had not been sent to Saudi Arabia yet. He said that the FIA had also been provided a record of the conversation between Saudi Tours and Ahmed Faiz, Kazmi and Zain Sukhera.

Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday said that they had become fed up with the FIA’s investigation process and directed Asghar to visit Saudi Arabia to collect evidence. Khosa said that Asghar has been granted visa and will soon leave for Saudi Arabia.

Religious Affairs Secretary Shaukat Hayat Durrani said that in keeping with the court’s orders, over 26,000 pilgrims would be repaid 700 Saudi Riyals each next week. Justice Ramday observed that pilgrims should have been paid 1,000 Riyals, to which Durrani submitted that apart from the 700 Riyals, 250 Riyals had been paid to some 13,000 pilgrims. Hearing was adjourned till January 20.

Published in The Express  Tribune, January 12th, 2011.