Federal ombudsman’s case: AGPR points to irregularities in appointment

Says he is drawing judicial allowances, which only the judges of superior judiciary are entitled to.

ISLAMABAD:

The Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) has informed Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan that the federal ombudsperson is drawing judicial allowances which only the judges of superior judiciary are entitled to.

The officials of AGPR were briefing a three-judge SC bench, which, on Thursday, heard the petition pertaining to the appointment of Federal Ombudsman Salman Farooqi. The bench comprised Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Azmat Saeed and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja.

The court expressed its displeasure over the absence of Wasim Sajjad who is the counsel for Salman Farooqi. “This is not any rent related case, but a high-profile petition and we observe that the counsel does not turn up sometimes, citing different reasons,” remarked Justice Azmat Saeed. Earlier, the court was informed that Wasim Sajjad had gone abroad for treatment and Salman Farooqi was also out of the country.

The AGPR officials further stated that the notification pertaining to the appointment of the ombudsperson had not been received on time. The AGPR received the notification of Farooqi’s appointment as ombudsman on May 14, 2013 while he had been working from March 1, 2013, they stated.

The bench adjourned the hearing till October 7.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2013.