Ephedrine scam: Ali Musa expresses lack of trust in ANF chief

Three-member SC bench to resume hearing today.

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD:

While denying allegations of his involvement in the ephedrine scam, the premier’s son Ali Musa Gilani expressed his lack of trust in Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Director-General Brigadier Faheem.

In a 12-page written statement submitted to the Supreme Court through his counsel Salman Akram Raja, Ali Musa requested the court to replace the officer in-charge of the investigation in the case. A three member-bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will resume the hearing of the ephedrine case today (Tuesday).

Referring to an affidavit allegedly sent to Brigadier Fahim by PM’s Principal Secretary Khushnood Lashari asking to clear the premier’s son in the case, Ali Musa said the document was counterfeit and had in fact been filed to involve him. He added that Lashari has also rebutted the affidavit.

Regarding former director general health Dr Rasheed Jooma’s statements, Ali Musa maintained that the former had made no categorical assertions about Gilani’s role in the scam. He added that Jooma had merely stated that one of the calls received with respect to the allocation of ephedrine to M/S Berlex and M/S Danas was made by someone purported to be Ali Musa.

“No independent, impartial and fair investigation can reach such a conclusion on the basis of only one statement, which too only claims that a phone call was received from a person claiming to be the answering respondent,” Ali Musa said in his written statement.

He added that the investigator had completely overlooked the close family and business ties some of the officials in the health ministry have with the owners of the two pharmaceutical companies in question.

ANF investigation

Meanwhile, Ali Musa appeared before the ANF investigators for the second time on Monday.

The MNA from Multan had earlier appeared before the force on April 26.

He then submitted a written statement in response to the questions raised by investigators at ANF’s Rawalpindi office.

According to official sources, Gilani categorically denied allegations of meeting former federal health secretary and having telephone conversations with former director general health Dr Rasheed Jooma to influence officials regarding the ephedrine quotas initially allocated for export purposes.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2012.