SHC issues notices over Fazaia Housing plea
Petitioner seeks review of court decision on refunds
Sindh High Court. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Friday notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other parties, seeking their replies on a plea moving the court to review its decision on making refunds to persons defrauded under the guise of Fazaia Housing Society.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Omar Sial and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, was hearing the case as Rasheed A Rizvi, the counsel for the petitioner, moved the court to reconsider the orders issued on Thursday.
The SHC had earlier directed the NAB to oversee the refunds to the housing society scam victims, directing it to continue verifying claims by affectees while cautioning that no refunds should be made until the next hearing.
Rizvi claimed that the persons who had filed a plea challenging an earlier court decision to appoint an official assignee for monitoring the refunds were just five per cent of those defrauded under the guise of residential scheme and the rest had were content with the ruling.
At this, the court issued notices to the NAB and other parties, directing them to submit their replies on the plea by June 29.
PSM retirees' dues
The bench also refused to hold on priority basis the hearings of a plea seeking the payment of dues to Pakistan Steel Mills' (PSM's) retired employees, even as the petitioner's counsel claimed that around Rs7 million to Rs7.2 million for each of the employees was due from the steel giant.
At the hearing of the plea, filed by 13 retired employees of PSM, the counsel told the court that PSM hadn't cleared the dues of employees who retired during 2018 and 2019.
He claimed that PSM owed each of those employees between Rs7 million and Rs7.2 million. The court, however, rejected his request to hear the plea on priority basis, stating that hearings could not be held over the weekend and when the employees had waited this long, they may wait another week.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2020.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Friday notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other parties, seeking their replies on a plea moving the court to review its decision on making refunds to persons defrauded under the guise of Fazaia Housing Society.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Omar Sial and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, was hearing the case as Rasheed A Rizvi, the counsel for the petitioner, moved the court to reconsider the orders issued on Thursday.
The SHC had earlier directed the NAB to oversee the refunds to the housing society scam victims, directing it to continue verifying claims by affectees while cautioning that no refunds should be made until the next hearing.
Rizvi claimed that the persons who had filed a plea challenging an earlier court decision to appoint an official assignee for monitoring the refunds were just five per cent of those defrauded under the guise of residential scheme and the rest had were content with the ruling.
At this, the court issued notices to the NAB and other parties, directing them to submit their replies on the plea by June 29.
PSM retirees' dues
The bench also refused to hold on priority basis the hearings of a plea seeking the payment of dues to Pakistan Steel Mills' (PSM's) retired employees, even as the petitioner's counsel claimed that around Rs7 million to Rs7.2 million for each of the employees was due from the steel giant.
At the hearing of the plea, filed by 13 retired employees of PSM, the counsel told the court that PSM hadn't cleared the dues of employees who retired during 2018 and 2019.
He claimed that PSM owed each of those employees between Rs7 million and Rs7.2 million. The court, however, rejected his request to hear the plea on priority basis, stating that hearings could not be held over the weekend and when the employees had waited this long, they may wait another week.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2020.