SJC seeks tax returns of judge named in Panama Papers

Council directs concerned Income Tax [department] to produce wealth statements

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has sought three years wealth statements and tax returns of the Lahore High Court (LHC) judge whose name was appeared in the Panama Papers in 2016.

"The concerned Income Tax [department] is directed to produce before this council the wealth statements and income tax returns filed by the respondent judge for the tax years 2010, 2011 and 2012… on January 3 for placing these documents on record,” says the written order of the five-judge SJC led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar.

The order was issued after the hearing in the case on December 31. A copy of the order is available with The Express Tribune.



The order says the documents which had earlier produced in the statement of former attorney general for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali have been objected for the reason as it was not done in the presence of the counsel for the respondent judge.

“Regardless of this, in order to ensure that the norms of justice are met, we summon the record of all documents which were placed on the record by former attorney general for Pakistan on March 6, 2018,” read the order.

The council has also asked the LHC judge to produce all remaining evidence (oral/ documentary) on January 8. If the respondent judge intends to file the affidavits of witnesses, he must do so two days before January 8 with an advance copy to the additional attorney general for Pakistan; otherwise, no witness shall be examined, says the order.



Interestingly, the written order does not say whether the next hearing of the case will be conducted in-camera or in open court.

On December 31, the Supreme Court PRO office had sent a message to the media that the case of the LHC judge would be taken up in open court at 3 O’clock. Later, it was conveyed to the media that the meeting has been postponed.

The council has already discharged a complaint against former IHC chief Justice Anwar Khan Kasi, who retired last month.

The SJC comprises three senior Supreme Court judges and chief justices of two high courts. The composition of the SJC has also changed after the retirement of Justice Kasi and the Balochistan High Court chief justice.

Presently, chief justices of the Sindh High Court and Peshawar High Court are members of the council. It will be interesting to see whether the SJC will conclude the proceedings before the CJP’s retirement this month.

The SJC was activated during the tenure of former CJP Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali as it shortlisted a few cases and issued show-cause notices.

In the last three years, the council issued show cause notices against three high court judges.