In the past four years, the government has spent around Rs70 million on the prosecution of various cases in the Supreme Court.
The Pakistan Peoples Party-led government has spent some Rs24 million on cases related to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and the Constitutional Act (18th Amendment). The Ministry of Law and Justice paid a huge amount as fee by hiring the services of close to two dozen senior lawyers for the prosecution of important cases at the apex court since the PPP government took charge.
Former law minister Babar Awan was the prime beneficiary receiving one-third of the total fee spent by the ministry concerned on trials of various cases by representing the federation in the apex court, according to details submitted by the Ministry of Law and Justice to the National Assembly.
The ministry informed the NA on Friday that a hefty amount of some Rs25 million was paid to Awan to plead various cases – Rs6.6 million in a review petition in NRO cases; Rs5.5 million as case fee in the prosecution of the National Insurance Company Limited case; Rs6.6 million for representing the federation in a case regarding a Karachi incident in the apex court and Rs3.3 million in a case of judicial allowance.
Senior lawyer Hafeez Pirzada was paid some Rs7.5 million in the cases of Ambassador Tariq Azizud Din, Hajj corruption and the NAB chairman.
The government paid Rs5.9 million to Wasim Sajjad for representing the government in an appeal against the 18th Amendment, according to a written reply on a question asked by MNA Riaz Malik.
Advocate Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry received over Rs4.4 million for the Hajj scam case, while Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali received Rs2 million in a Federal Investigation Agency case. Both were representing the federation in these cases.
Senior lawyer Kamal Azfar was paid Rs4 million in two appeals by Dr Mobashir Hassan in NRO case, the reply stated.
In another important case, the department concerned has yet to decide about the fee of senior lawyer Anwar Mansoor Khan in a case filed by Muhammad Ashraf Tiwana versus the federation of Pakistan.
The law ministry further told the House in writing that 273 individuals benefited from the controversial NRO, out of which 190 were from the Punjab, 63 from Sindh, 12 from Balochistan and eight from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The investigations were resumed by the National Accountability Bureau after the Supreme Court annulled the NRO.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2012.
COMMENTS (19)
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@ Khalq e Khuda Spot on..well written..
@Baby ka Husband: Oh dear ! Aeteraz partly got his fee in kind now and rest is deferred, like deferred dowry. A Senator seat, An LPG quota, Women Cricket chairmanship for wife, a job for his daughter, a house in Bahria town as his current the rest he will get a little later. Haen Kawakib kuch nazar aten haen kuch.
70million spent to Sue others Or to Defend the Democracy?
How can that be???? Lawyers like Aitizaz Ahsan were taking Rs.100 per case, so why did this become Rs.70 million???? Please give us a breakdown ET!!!!
This is totally biased..
Hahaha.. Spent 70 million to save 60 million in swiss.. lol what a shame for the nation.
Aren't the Courts responsible for this? They kept dragging down the government in everyother matter?
Please also release the figures of amounts and time spent by the judges in carrying out cases against the government? The amounts on foreign trips for Memogate? The amounts of innumerable amicus curae appointed by the Court to reward its staunch supporters like Hamid Khan, Athar Minullah, Akram Shiekh etc? The timing being wasted on Babar Awan's contempt case? And above all the opportunity cost of the witch hunt being carried by Iftikhar Chaudhry?
Lets not forget the cost of plots doled out to judges at prime locations in Islamabad.
FBR please check if these lawyers have declared these fee. Has the Govt deducted withholding tax on these payments. I know you will not do it. obviously this requires courage and clean hands.
Lesson : Be loyal to PPP and be willing to scarifice and remain subservient to it's dynastic head and one day you too will get to see the reward my friend, at the tax payer's expense though, but that doesn't matter does it?
@Abdul Qayyum Bhatti:
My sympathies Sir!
It's a national loss . Responsibilities shouid be fixed immediatly and the person responsible should be booked .
Arsalan Iftikhar spent 486% more money on trips than the government on (Monte Carlo) trips and shopping :)
70m in four years! is it a news? really???
This is nothing compared to the 30B dollar external loan that it has increased. PPP more than doubled our foreign loans in 4 years.
70 million rupees is 7 crore, which I humbly think is not a lot of money given the duration ( 4 years ) and high stake supreme court cases.
If this has to write here in this regard,id est, "Corruption and PPP go together" this shall be true.
On the other hand educated people are job less.
why am i not surprised!!