Swiss letter: Contempt of court case filed against Secretary of Law
The secretary of law had sent a second letter to Swiss authorities, invalidating the first letter in the NRO case.
Pakistan had written a letter to Swiss authorities on the orders of Supreme Court. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
A petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against former Secretary of Law Yasmin Abbasey has been filed in the Supreme Court (SC).
The matter has been pending before the apex court against the former secretary of law for writing a secret letter to the Swiss authorities requesting closure of cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The federation’s attorney Muneer A Malik told the court that the government was currently probing a matter related to the closure of cases against President Zardari, and particularly a secret letter written by former law secretary Abbasey in violation of Supreme Court’s letter that was dispatched to the Swiss authorities for revival of cases against President Zardari.
Last week, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken notice of the matter while hearing a case related to the implementation of one of the judgements passed by the apex court in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case.
The letter was written to Dr Nicholas Jeanding of law firm Fontanet Associes in Geneva by Yasmin Abbasey on November 22 last year against the Supreme Court’s letter.
The government got a written letter approved by the Supreme Court and sent it to the concerned authorities in Switzerland on November 5, 2012.
By sending a second letter to the Swiss authorities, the secretary of law had made the first letter invalid.
The attorney general told the court that the ministry of law had also destroyed all proof related to the second letter.
In February this year, Swiss authorities declined to reopen cases against President Zardari in response to the letter sent on November 22 and not the one sent on November 5.
Terming this action on the part of the secretary of law as contempt of court, the Chief Justice said the matter should be investigated.
The government has formed a committee to investigate the second letter.
Intelligence Bureau Chief Aftab Sultan and Secretary Cabinet Sami Saeed are currently probing the issue and will submit their report to the apex court.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentarians raised this issue in the parliament and asked the ruling N-League to not victimise the PPP leadership by probing the Swiss cases.
The incumbent interior minister Chaudhry Nisar countered PPP lawmakers’ move by suggesting to let the court decide the issue independently.
However, he said that his party would obey the courts’ orders and will not ignore such directions. He also suggested the PPP MPs to respect the system and prove their innocence before the courts.
Former law minister Farooq H Naek and his secretary Yasmin Abbasey could not be reached to clarify their positions over the second letter in the controversy.
A petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against former Secretary of Law Yasmin Abbasey has been filed in the Supreme Court (SC).
The matter has been pending before the apex court against the former secretary of law for writing a secret letter to the Swiss authorities requesting closure of cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The federation’s attorney Muneer A Malik told the court that the government was currently probing a matter related to the closure of cases against President Zardari, and particularly a secret letter written by former law secretary Abbasey in violation of Supreme Court’s letter that was dispatched to the Swiss authorities for revival of cases against President Zardari.
Last week, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken notice of the matter while hearing a case related to the implementation of one of the judgements passed by the apex court in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case.
The letter was written to Dr Nicholas Jeanding of law firm Fontanet Associes in Geneva by Yasmin Abbasey on November 22 last year against the Supreme Court’s letter.
The government got a written letter approved by the Supreme Court and sent it to the concerned authorities in Switzerland on November 5, 2012.
By sending a second letter to the Swiss authorities, the secretary of law had made the first letter invalid.
The attorney general told the court that the ministry of law had also destroyed all proof related to the second letter.
In February this year, Swiss authorities declined to reopen cases against President Zardari in response to the letter sent on November 22 and not the one sent on November 5.
Terming this action on the part of the secretary of law as contempt of court, the Chief Justice said the matter should be investigated.
The government has formed a committee to investigate the second letter.
Intelligence Bureau Chief Aftab Sultan and Secretary Cabinet Sami Saeed are currently probing the issue and will submit their report to the apex court.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentarians raised this issue in the parliament and asked the ruling N-League to not victimise the PPP leadership by probing the Swiss cases.
The incumbent interior minister Chaudhry Nisar countered PPP lawmakers’ move by suggesting to let the court decide the issue independently.
However, he said that his party would obey the courts’ orders and will not ignore such directions. He also suggested the PPP MPs to respect the system and prove their innocence before the courts.
Former law minister Farooq H Naek and his secretary Yasmin Abbasey could not be reached to clarify their positions over the second letter in the controversy.