False inquiry: FIA officer arrested from courtroom
The official had made false statements before the bench.
Sindh High Court building. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
An officer of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was arrested, from a courtroom of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), for reopening a closed case and making false statements before the bench.
Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi ordered to arrest FIA Inspector Nadeem Chaudhry who remained handcuffed for a few hours on Friday before he tendered an unconditional apology before the court.
When the case was taken up, Justice Qureshi inquired the FIA inspector about authorisation letter of a second inquiry into the matter of bogus employment of some officials of health ministry. The inspector replied that it was a verbal approval by senior officials.
When the judge inquired the officer about his statement he gave during previous hearing that the inquiry was entirely different from the previous one but appeared the same. At that point when the inspector could not come up with any answer, he confessed that his previous statement was wrong.
In the same breath, Chaudhry apologised for making a false statement but the single bench issued orders for his arrest for misuse of powers and conducting a fake inquiry to humiliate the citizens.
Later, the court released him after a deputy director legal informed the judge that the inquiry was erroneously reopened and that the inspector has submitted an unconditional apology and left himself at mercy of the court.
The matter is related to 35 employees of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination.
The petitioners through their counsel Raja Saifur Rehman advocate maintained before the court that an FIA inquiry had exonerated them of the charges of bogus employment and the inquiry was closed.
Their stalled salaries since 2013 were paid to them but FIA initiated a false inquiry once again to obtain monetary benefits from the employees.
The petitioners were initially appointed in National Council for Homeopathy in 2011 and were later merged with the health ministry on May 2012. After the merger, the petitioners in the ministry filed a petition before the IHC for their regularisation and a court bench had allowed their petition in 2013.
The ministry, however, referred the matter to FIA for an inquiry under the allegations that contract letters of the employees were bogus. FIA inquiry exonerated them of the charges in 2015. They were then paid their stalled salaries amounting to Rs10 million.
The petitioners’ counsel said that when FIA came to know about the distribution of salary, Chaudhry with the help of some superior started second inquiry into the matter. The petitioners brought the fact to the court’s notice, which had summoned the inspector on last date of hearing.
When the FIA official failed to give satisfactory answers on Friday’s hearing, he was briefly detained for his wrongdoings. The court not only reprimanded him but also issued him a warning.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2016.
An officer of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was arrested, from a courtroom of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), for reopening a closed case and making false statements before the bench.
Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi ordered to arrest FIA Inspector Nadeem Chaudhry who remained handcuffed for a few hours on Friday before he tendered an unconditional apology before the court.
When the case was taken up, Justice Qureshi inquired the FIA inspector about authorisation letter of a second inquiry into the matter of bogus employment of some officials of health ministry. The inspector replied that it was a verbal approval by senior officials.
When the judge inquired the officer about his statement he gave during previous hearing that the inquiry was entirely different from the previous one but appeared the same. At that point when the inspector could not come up with any answer, he confessed that his previous statement was wrong.
In the same breath, Chaudhry apologised for making a false statement but the single bench issued orders for his arrest for misuse of powers and conducting a fake inquiry to humiliate the citizens.
Later, the court released him after a deputy director legal informed the judge that the inquiry was erroneously reopened and that the inspector has submitted an unconditional apology and left himself at mercy of the court.
The matter is related to 35 employees of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination.
The petitioners through their counsel Raja Saifur Rehman advocate maintained before the court that an FIA inquiry had exonerated them of the charges of bogus employment and the inquiry was closed.
Their stalled salaries since 2013 were paid to them but FIA initiated a false inquiry once again to obtain monetary benefits from the employees.
The petitioners were initially appointed in National Council for Homeopathy in 2011 and were later merged with the health ministry on May 2012. After the merger, the petitioners in the ministry filed a petition before the IHC for their regularisation and a court bench had allowed their petition in 2013.
The ministry, however, referred the matter to FIA for an inquiry under the allegations that contract letters of the employees were bogus. FIA inquiry exonerated them of the charges in 2015. They were then paid their stalled salaries amounting to Rs10 million.
The petitioners’ counsel said that when FIA came to know about the distribution of salary, Chaudhry with the help of some superior started second inquiry into the matter. The petitioners brought the fact to the court’s notice, which had summoned the inspector on last date of hearing.
When the FIA official failed to give satisfactory answers on Friday’s hearing, he was briefly detained for his wrongdoings. The court not only reprimanded him but also issued him a warning.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2016.