SHC issues notices to FIA, others on Gilani’s plea against harassment, registration of fresh cases

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency, the deputy attorney-general and others on a petition filed by former prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, against registration of new cases against him and his harassment by the FIA in the multi-million-rupee Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) corruption scandal.
The senior PPP leader was booked in over a dozen cases and inquiries pertaining to embezzlement of export development funds and causing loss to the national exchequer through bogus export claims on freight subsidies.
According to the prosecution, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, senior officials of the TDAP, exporters and bank officials caused loss to the national exchequer through embezzlement of export development funds, financial irregularities and bogus export claims on freight subsidies approved by the former PPP government for the exporters.
The counsel for the petitioner, Farooq H Naek, submitted in the petition that the former prime minister was being booked in identical cases in which he was already facing trial.
He submitted that the FIA authorities had been harassing the petitioner in respect of inquiries in fresh cases and prayed the court to restrain the FIA from registration of fresh cases against the petitioner without permission of the court and direct the authorities not to harass the petitioner.
He also sought details of the pending cases and inquires against him with regard to the TDAP scandal.
The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, after a preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the FIA, the deputy attorney-general and others and called for their comments on October 1 and in the meantime directed the FIA to conduct itself in accordance to the law and not to harass the petitioner.
It is pertinent to mention here that Yousuf Raza Gilani is already on bail in several cases registered under the scam.