Supreme Court rejects Sheikh Afzal’s bail plea
SC has dismissed a petition filed by Harris Steel Mills seeking more time for the return of a Rs9 billion loan.
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the plea of Sheikh Afzal, the main accused in the Rs9 billion Bank of Punjab scam, seeking permission to sell his property and return the money to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The court, however, allowed Harris Afzal, son of Sheikh Afzal, the owner of the Harris Steel Mill, to become part of a mediation committee formed earlier on the directives of the court for auctioning the property in the name of Sheikh Afzal and his family for the recovery of the money.
The order was passed by a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Afzal’s attorney informed the bench that 80 per cent of money has been paid to NAB whereas only two installments are left.
He requested the court to allow his client to sell the property himself for the payment of the remaining money. In this regard he had filed an application with NAB in July but he has not received a reply to-date.
“First it will be examined as to what extent the court orders have been implemented then we will consider your pleas,” Justice Chaudhry observed. “You should take up this matter with the NAB chairman as this court cannot use the authority of NAB”.
“When they are voluntarily returning the money, you should help them,” the chief justice said while addressing the Advocate-General of Punjab and the counsel for the Bank of Punjab in this case.
Khawaja Harris submitted that they did not honour their pledges therefore criminal proceedings should be initiated against them.
The court, however, while rejecting the miscellaneous application of Afzal directed the mediation committee to continue its work even if the representative of Afzal does not attend the committee.
The chief justice while dismissing the application directed the Punjab home secretary and the Inspector-General Prisons to facilitate Afzal according to the jail manual.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2010.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the plea of Sheikh Afzal, the main accused in the Rs9 billion Bank of Punjab scam, seeking permission to sell his property and return the money to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The court, however, allowed Harris Afzal, son of Sheikh Afzal, the owner of the Harris Steel Mill, to become part of a mediation committee formed earlier on the directives of the court for auctioning the property in the name of Sheikh Afzal and his family for the recovery of the money.
The order was passed by a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Afzal’s attorney informed the bench that 80 per cent of money has been paid to NAB whereas only two installments are left.
He requested the court to allow his client to sell the property himself for the payment of the remaining money. In this regard he had filed an application with NAB in July but he has not received a reply to-date.
“First it will be examined as to what extent the court orders have been implemented then we will consider your pleas,” Justice Chaudhry observed. “You should take up this matter with the NAB chairman as this court cannot use the authority of NAB”.
“When they are voluntarily returning the money, you should help them,” the chief justice said while addressing the Advocate-General of Punjab and the counsel for the Bank of Punjab in this case.
Khawaja Harris submitted that they did not honour their pledges therefore criminal proceedings should be initiated against them.
The court, however, while rejecting the miscellaneous application of Afzal directed the mediation committee to continue its work even if the representative of Afzal does not attend the committee.
The chief justice while dismissing the application directed the Punjab home secretary and the Inspector-General Prisons to facilitate Afzal according to the jail manual.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2010.