NICL scam: ‘DG FIA avoiding meetings led by Zafar Qureshi’

Sessions court gives FIA till Sep 17 to appoint a prosecutor.

LAHORE:

Director-General (DG) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Syed Tahsin Anwar Ali Shah has been ‘deliberately’ avoiding participating in meetings chaired by additional DG FIA Zafar Qureshi in the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scam, sources familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune.

The director general’s resignation is believed to be the reason for his ‘disappearing act’, even though he continues to enjoy the perks and privileges granted to his office.  Shah also visited the FIA headquarters in Islamabad on Monday and Tuesday, after office hours, and is believed to have met the interior secretary and prime minister, sources told The Express Tribune.

According to Supreme Court orders, Shah was bound to attend “meetings as a team member of the investigation if he had signed any documents as DG FIA,” sources further revealed.

On August 17, Shah tendered his resignation in the Supreme Court during the hearing of the NICL scam case. Shah believed he was superseded by Qureshi in the investigation, citing it as the reason for his resignation.

Meanwhile, Lahore District and Sessions Judge Mujahid Mustaqeem made it mandatory on FIA authorities to appoint a prosecutor on the application filed by main accused Moonis Elahi for his acquittal in the NICL scam by September 17.

Earlier, FIA authorities moved an application seeking adjournment in hearing of the NICL scam to ensure the appointment of a new prosecutor to contest the case.

While opposing the application, Elahi’s counsels, Rai Bashir Ahmad and Malik Amjad Pervaiz, argued that FIA was not only wasting the court’s time but was also creating hurdles in the proceedings by filing baseless applications.

The counsels further added that earlier the FIA sought adjournment of hearing on the completion of the investigation and had now filed a new application seeking adjournment for the appointment of a new prosecutor. The counsels believed the application was in contempt of court as it had already given time to the FIA for the completion of investigations.

Elahi, his manager Muhammad Maalik, bank officials Rizwan Bhatti and Muhammad Khalil are involved in the misappropriation of Rs220 million while facilitating one of the land deals of the NICL scam.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th,  2011.