The Sindh High Court's (SHC) constitutional bench on Monday issued a show-cause notice to the investigating officer (IO) for failing to submit a response in a case regarding the freezing of former president Dr Arif Alvi's bank accounts.
A constitutional bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha, expressed displeasure over the IO's repeated absence and directed the officer to appear at the next hearing on June 25 and explain the delay.
The court adjourned proceedings until June 25, issuing a show-cause notice for non-compliance.
The bench was hearing a petition filed against the freezing of bank accounts belonging to the former president. At the previous hearing, the court had allowed the withdrawal of up to Rs1 million from the frozen account for meeting daily expenses.
Representing Dr Alvi, Barrister Ali Tahir argued that the bank accounts of the former president, his wife and their children had all been frozen.
"Based on an inquiry, the FIA froze the entire family's bank accounts," Tahir said, adding that the action had severely impacted their ability to meet day-to-day expenses.
He further informed the court that the family had learned of an ongoing inquiry into alleged money laundering, but had not been provided any formal documentation regarding the case.
"These inquiries appear to be politically motivated," the counsel said. "The former president is being punished for his political affiliations."
Barrister Ali Tahir also told the court that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had issued undated letters to private banks ordering the freeze under Section 25 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010, and Section 5 of the FIA Act 1974.
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