Justice Yahya recuses himself from SC bench hearing Shahbaz bail matter

ISLAMABAD: Justice Yahya Afridi on Thursday recused from a bench of the Supreme Court that was scheduled to resume hearing in an appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a bail matter of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Fawad Hassan Fawad, former Principal Secretary to Premier.

Justice Yahya Afridi was a member of the three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed which was scheduled to take up the NABs appeal against the order of Lahore High Court (LHC), granting bail to Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Fawad Hassan Fawad in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases. During the course of hearing on Thursday, Justice Afridi said that he is closely acquainted with Fawad Hasan Fawad; therefore, he will be unable to continue sitting on bench hearing case against him.

Meanwhile, the instant bench was dissolved and next hearing will be commenced after new bench was constituted for the instant case.

In its appeals, the anti-graft body had contended that the high court has not reviewed the facts and regulations in the Ashiana case into right aspects. It had prayed the apex court to suspend the bail granted to Shahbaz and Fawad. In October last year, the Lahore NAB had taken the former chief minister into custody in connection with the case.