Hamid Saeed Kazmi challenges 16 years imprisonment in IHC

 

Haj corruption case

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan People’s Party’s federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Wednesday challenged his 16 years imprisonment sentence in the Haj corruption case before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

In his criminal appeal against the Special Judge Central’s decision dated June 3, 2016, Kazmi through his counsel Sardar Latif Khosa has cited the state as respondent. Kazmi adopted in his appeal that none of the prosecution witnesses have insinuated him with any malfeasance and his conviction is based on fanciful, arbitrary, capricious and absolutely conjectural hypothesis.

That according to the prosecution’s own version, the appellant Kazmi being the minister had supervisory role but had nothing to do with the hiring of buildings and making payments of rents to the building owners, yet the trial court proceeded to hold the appellant guilty.

The petitioner said that the conclusion of the trial court was based on suppositions and a consequence of misreading or non-reading of the facts. He said the rent payment of the under construction building was contingent upon completion and rent amount was retrieved through checks and no embezzlement of funds had taken place. The petitioner further contended that this is a case of no evidence and sentence by the trial court is a violation of his fundamental rights. He said not a single prosecution witness uttered any word against the petitioner regarding kickbacks or commission and there is no such evidence on record to prove this offence.

The petitioner said the role of hiring buildings for pilgrims was to be performed by a seven-member committee and the petitioner had no role whatsoever. The petitioner said his name was not in the FIR but he was implicated due to political rivalry. The learned trial court while convicting the petitioner seemed to be influenced by the media trial, the petitioner said.The petitioner has prayed to the court to set aside his sentence awarded by the Special Judge Central’s court. The IHC registrar office will fix this matter for hearing.