Law ministry moves summary for fresh postings in Rawalpindi NAB courts

ISLAMABAD: Two key judges, who were nominated by the Law and Justice Ministry for the Rawalpindi accountability courts, have been transferred, a move which could apparently delay the prosecution of former premier Nawaz Sharif, his three siblings and others who are bound to face courts of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). However, the ministry has moved a fresh summary for the appointment of two judges to fill the posts.

The development came after Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) Mansoor Ali Shah ordered postings and transfers of some lower court judges in the Punjab. The Ministry of Law and Justice nominated two judges, Nisar Ahmed and Ch Abdul Qayyum, for accountability courts in Rawalpindi, senior officials familiar with this matter told this correspondent. Both were supposed to replace judges Khalid Ranjha and Raja Abdul Khaliq, who are going to complete their tenures in the first week of October.

Ch Abdul Qayyum was transferred to district Layyah while Nisar Ahmed assumed the charge as sessions judge Vehari on Thursday. The top corruption watchdog is going to file references against Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hassan Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and MNA Capt (R) Muhammad Safdar before September 8, 2017 in accountability courts of Rawalpindi/Islamabad.

The Law Ministry will move a fresh summary to chief justice LHC for nomination of two fresh judges to take over accountability courts likely to be hearing references against the Sharifs. The apex court has already been ordered to decide the case within six months. A senior official of the Law Ministry says these routine postings which would not hamper proceedings at accountability courts and new nomination may not take more than a week. The SC’s judge Ijazul Ahsan, who was also a part of Panama bench, is monitoring NAB’s operations about Panama case order. One of six accountability courts in twin cities is not operating, while judges of three courts will get superannuation within next two months.

Meanwhile, investigation officers (IOs) started this exercise after aforementioned accused failed to appear before CIT which in its final notices asked them to appear before the Bureau on August 22, otherwise it would be construed that they had nothing more to offer in their defence.

Consultation on drafting references started soon after CIT Lahore received written replies of Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, MNA Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar who pleaded: “There is neither any mandate nor any scope for any investigation; issuance of the performa and scores of questions put to my client are outside the scope of the order passed by the Supreme Court; any such exercise tantamount to re-writing the order.”

Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz are likely to submit their written replies before the NAB Lahore today (Friday), a close aide of Sharif family told this correspondent. They are being represented by Advocate Amjad Pervaiz, he added. Earlier, Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar in their separate replies submitted through Amjad Pervaiz with NAB Lahore stating that “they will not appear before investigators till review petitions filed in the apex court against the Panamagate verdict are decided upon.”

Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Nawaz Sharif’s children and Captain Safdar, is also going to file review on behalf of his clients against Panama order in the apex court, informed aide of Sharif family further revealed. Meanwhile, the apex court has yet to respond to NAB’s request seeking permission to record statements of JIT members, government officials said.

Nawaz Sharif in his reply said, “My grievance is that I have been deprived not only of my statutory rights but also fundamental rights of due process, treatment in accordance with law, right to dignity and life, right to fair trial and equal protection of law. It is for this reason that my client has since filed a review petition before the apex court to seek recall of the said judgment.”

Maryam Nawaz and her spouse stated in their written replies that “the review petition on behalf of Nawaz Sharif has since been filed to seek recall of Panama case order whereas the review petition by them is also in filing process.”