SHC adjourns hearing against envoy to USA till Nov 13

The suspect allegedly caused a loss of Rs40b to public institutions by selling shares at excessive prices

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) adjourned the hearing of a petition on Friday challenging an inquiry by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Ali Jahangir Siddiqui, due to the absence of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) counsel. A two-member bench headed by Justice Iqbal Kalhoro heard the case.



The NAB prosecutor, Ahsan Rasool Chatta, argued that NAB’s Lahore branch had issued notice to Siddiqui and the SHC had no jurisdiction to hear the petition. Justice Kalhoro told him that the counsel for SECP was not present, but Chatta again requested the court to decide if it had the jurisdiction to hear the case.

Justice Kalhoro said in his remarks that the legal aspects and merit of the case would be reviewed when all the parties involved were present at the court. The hearing was adjourned until November 13.

According to NAB, the suspect had allegedly caused a loss of Rs40 billion to public institutions by selling shares at excessive prices. Siddiqui traded these shares through a company named Azgard Nine.

The petition maintained that after the approval of State Bank, no inquiry could be initiated and that the shares were traded in November 2012, while Siddiqui had resigned from the company’s board of directors in 2010. It further stated that the opposition had started a propaganda campaign after Siddiqui had been appointed ambassador to the USA and that the plea to place Siddiqui’s name on the Exit Control List was based on a mala fide intent.

Replies sought

The SHC issued notices to NAB prosecutor and others seaking replies on a bail plea filed on behalf of Logistics Additional Inspector-General (AIG) of Police Tanveer Ahmed Tahir. The senior police official was arrested for alleged involvement in Rs50 million corruption reference regarding petrol bills. A two-member bench headed by Justice Kalhoro heard the suspect’s bail plea on Friday.

After reviewing the petition, the court issued notices to NAB and others to present their arguments by October 26.

An accountability court had earlier awarded seven years imprisonment to Tahir.  Counsel for the convict, Farooq H Naek, said that his client had filed an appeal against the verdict and had been in jail for the past 11 months.

According to NAB, Tahir and Syed Hussain were charged for involvement in the Rs50 million corruption and embezzlement case. NAB stated that the funds were released on account of CNG stations but the police never received fuel or petrol. After getting the check, the amount was deposited in a bank account operated by head constable Muhammad Rafiq.



School fee case

The SHC directed the plaintiff to register a contempt of court plea against schools collecting fee for June and July with late payment charges. A two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the plea.

Plaintiff’s lawyer, Ishaq, referred to a Lahore High Court order which had barred schools from collecting June/July fees and then charging late fee penalty. He said that school owners were also collecting withholding and income tax from parents. He added that school owners should be barred from collecting withholding tax and penalty on late payment fee. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar remarked that the Supreme Court had already summoned the cases relating to collection of fee from all over the country and that a high court could not take up the matter. However, the court directed the plaintiff to lodge a contempt of court plea.

Fake degree

The SHC postponed the hearing of a fake degree case against Sindh Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, a member of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), due to shortage of time. A two-member bench heard the case.

The defendant’s lawyer, Farooq H Naek, also asked for time to submit a reply. The petition was filed by a citizen, Abdul Qayyum Solangi, against Chawla’s degree. The petitioner argued that Chawla was born in 1974, but the degree submitted with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mentions 1980 as the year of his birth. He further said that the minister completed his Matriculation in 1992 from Karachi while Mukesh Kumar Pansari completed his Matriculation from Sajawal in 1996. Chawla did not receive any college or university education and he forged Pansari’s Jamshoro University degree to show his higher education.

Pansari, who obtained his Master’s degree from Jamshoro University, is employed at a bank. The petition requested that Chawla be disqualified.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2018.