SC to resume Hajj scam hearing this week

Summons interior secretary, DG FIA to appear before the court.

ISLAMABAD:

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will resume the hearing of various important cases – including the 2010 Hajj corruption scam – in the principal seat of the Supreme Court here from Monday.

Beginning Monday, a bench comprising the chief justice and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, will resume hearings regarding various matters by exercising its original as well as appellant jurisdiction.

Matters pertaining to specific performance, services, income tax, contempt of court, bail, human rights cases and the suo-motu cases will also be heard during the week.

The apex court has also summoned the interior secretary and the director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to appear before the court in the Hajj corruption scam.

Earlier, in the Hajj corruption case, on July 27, the Supreme Court had directed the lead investigator of the Hajj scam, Hussain Asghar, to probe the scam that caused a loss of Rs460 million to the national exchequer following rampage corruption in the Hajj arrangements of last year.

Hussain Asghar was given the slot of Gilgilt-Baltistan inspector general of police (IGP) without informing the Supreme Court. The apex court expressed its displeasure and directed the concerned authorities to assure the officer back to the position of FIA director to finalise the investigation.

Later, the attorney general for Pakistan informed the Supreme Court that G-B Chief Minister Mehdi Shah was not permitting the officer to relinquish the charge till his replacement.



Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2011.