PSL spot-fixing: Judgment on Khalid’s plea reserved

KARACHI: Pakistan batsman Khalid Latif appeared before retired judge Justice Fazal-e-Miran Chohan on Thursday to argue that the tribunal hearing the PSL corruption case cannot be impartial.

Justice Chohan heard Latif’s concerns, and the rebuttal from the PCB, and has reserved his judgment. He is expected to announce it over the next two days.

Khalid’s lawyer Badar Alam, after presenting his argument, told reporters the PCB could not nominate tribunal members with whom the board has had previous relations.

He cited various instances in Pakistan’s legal history when judges decided against hearing cases in which they were perceived to have conflicts of interest.

He said Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar had decided not to hear the Panama Papers case because he had been the Secretary of Law when Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister in 1997.

The PCB said there was no such provision written in the code. “The only provision mentioned in the code is that members should not have any association with the case and none of the three members has any direct or indirect association with the case,” Tafuzzul Rizvi, PCB’s legal advisor, said.

Latif is facing six charges, but has boycotted the tribunal’s proceedings and instead filed a separate motion questioning the fitness of the three-member panel led by
Justice retired Syed Asghar Haider.

Latif and his lawyer Badar Alam said that Haider (a former legal advisor), Tauqir Zia (ex-chairman) and Wasim Bari (former team manager) had all been on the payroll of the PCB at some time and hence cannot be impartial.