Big cases mean big bucks for 15 lawyers

Lawyers in NRO and 18th amendment cases paid Rs26 million by PPP govt to defend cases.

ISLAMABAD: Two high profile cases in the Supreme Court of Pakistan – the National Reconciliation Ordinance and the 18th Amendment – opened the gates of wealth on 15 lawyers of the country in 2010.

The lawyers were paid Rs26million by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government to defend these cases.

Former chairman Senate and PML-Q leader in the upper house, Senator Wasim Sajjad emerged as the highest paid lawyer in the country in one government case when he was paid Rs5.9million by the government to defend the 18th Amendment in the Supreme Court.

These lawyers were paid after the government approved the hiring of a brigade of 15 lawyers for just one case, paying them a total of Rs19.5million.

The names of these lawyers and the fees paid to them were produced in the National Assembly on Monday during the question hour when MNA Nighat Parveen Mir sought these details, as well as the procedure adopted in the selection of the advocates. However, no reason was given regarding why such a large number of lawyers were hired in the first place to defend the 18th amendment when the government had the services of some top constitutional lawyers such as Wasim Sajjad and a few others.

The NA was informed in writing that these advocates were hired with the mutual consultation of the Law Minister, Secretary Law and Attorney General of Pakistan.

According to the list produced in the NA, the government hired a total of 13 lawyers to defend the 18th amendment in the court.

Wasim Sajjad, who led the team, was given Rs5.9 million, Sardar Ghazi Rs1 million, Barrister Bachaa Rs2 million, Raja Ibrahim Satti Rs1 million, Masood Chishti Rs1.5 million, Salaudin Gandapur Rs700,000, Iftikharul Haq Khan Rs500,000, Ch Nasrullah Warriach Rs3 million, Mumtaz Mustafa, Rs1.2million, Ch Mushtaq Masood Rs1 million, Khurshid Ahmed Sodhi Rs1 million, Iftikhar Ahmed Mian Rs500,000, Mahmood Sheikh AOR Rs200,000. Thus, a total of Rs19.5million were paid to 13 lawyers.

In the NRO review petition, Kamal Azfar was first paid Rs2.5 million and then Rs1.5 million. Advocate KK Agha got Rs1million and Masood Chishti Rs1.5million. The fee of Governor Punjab Latif Khosa was yet to be paid as the fee was under consideration.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2011.