SC grants Shahabuddin bail in ephedrine scam

The minister filed bail application with the apex court following rejection by the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted pre-arrest bail to Federal Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin in the ephedrine quota case.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk, heard the bail application filed by Shahabuddin. He filed an appeal in the apex court following rejection of his bail petition by the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench.

Shahabuddin’s counsel Sardar Ishaque argued before the bench that the illegal ephedrine quota had been allotted by former director general of health Dr Rasheed Juma.

The counsel claimed that his client was named in the case eight months after the registration of the FIR.

Ishaque alleged that the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) pressured Rizwan Ahmad, the owner of a pharmaceutical company, into becoming an approver.

He claimed that his client was the complainant who initiated the ephedrine case. At this juncture, Justice Tariq Perez inquired as to how Shahabuddin initiated the case as the court action was taken following a notice in parliament.

The bench later granted Shahabuddin bail against a Rs500,000 security and issued a notice to the ANF to be present at the next hearing on September 25.

SC directs ANF against harassment

In a separate hearing on Wednesday, a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, asked ANF DG Brigadier Faheem not to harass anyone unnecessarily.

At the same time, the bench directed Hanif Abbasi and other pharmaceutical companies to remove posters and banners against the ANF.

Around 28 pharmaceutical companies appealed that the ANF was harassing them. Abbasi’s lawyer Mustafa Kundal along with the pharmaceutical companies’ counsel Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood informed the court of the ANF’s alleged rude conduct with their clients.

Hearing their appeal, Justice Chaudhry asked the ANF not to overstep its jurisdiction and ensure the investigation process was transparent.

He questioned that why cases were registered against only seven firms out of 28 pharmaceutical companies shortlisted by the ANF.

In response, Brig Faheem said the ANF would probe other companies as well, assuring the court that the investigation would be carried out in accordance with the law.

Unhappy with ANF’s briefing, Justice Chaudhry remarked that the process should have been initiated five years ago. The court will take up the matter again on September 22.

Meanwhile, talking to The Express Tribune, Brig Faheem said that former premier Yousaf Raza GIlani may be summoned for investigation, adding that the latter’s son Ali Musa Gilani was an absconder in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2012.