Court hearing: Company levels graft charge on minister

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought replies from three directors of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation in order to explain irregularities in the purchase of 375 acres of land. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry directed Zafar Abbas, Qaiser Abbas and Kashif Ahmed to file their replies within two weeks. The chief justice had taken suo motu notice of the alleged irregularities in the purchase of land from Green Tree Private Limited.  The company said it had handed over possession of 375 acres to the foundation but the Capital Development Authority was not issuing a no-objection certificate in this regard. The company’s counsel alleged that they were being victimised because they had refused to give illegal gratification to Faisal Saleh Hayat, the Minister for Housing and Works. The counsel said Hayat appointed a senior joint secretary to probe into the purchase despite the fact that there were no irregularities committed. He added the secretary, whose past record was tainted, prepared a report against the company on cooked-up charges.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2012.