Khurram Rasool presented before SC
27 January, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The former media coordinator of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Khurram Rasool, has been presented before the Supreme Court today (Friday).
Khurram Rasool surrendered himself to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on early Friday morning. He has been convicted in the banking fraud case and Rawalpindi Accountability Court had sentenced Khurram Rasool to three years in jail on Thursday.
The Supreme Court on January 25 directed FIA to immediately arrest Khurram Rasool and produce him on January 27.
The three-Judge bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez, in its order also warned Director General FIA Tahseen Anwar Shah to comply with its directive, otherwise, failure would have serious legal consequences.
The bench was hearing an application moved by Parvez Hussain, a businessman of Afghan carpets, accusing Khurram Rasool of defrauding him of Rs 430 million.
FIA Additional Director General Sajjad Ahmed apprised the bench that they had received statement of Khushnood Lashari Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Waseem Ahmed and Malik Iqbal, former Director Generals of FIA, in which they had denied the allegations of influencing the investigation of case.
Talking to the media after surrendering, Khurram said that he has been receiving life threats, therefore he went on missing. He said that his family was also facing threats and his children could not attend schools for one year.
Khurram Rasool said that he was forced to signed cheques. He showed confidence over judiciary and hoped justice.
Yesterday, a Rawalpindi accountability court has sentenced former PTV media coordinator, Khurram Rasool, to three years in jail in a bank fraud case.
A special court judge sentenced Rasool after he failed to appear before the court.
Earlier on Thursday, a judge of special court for banking offences, Amjad Pervaiz, granted interim bail to Khurram Rasool, only a few hours after a division bench rejected his application requesting protective bail. The judge granted him pre-arrest bail until February 2, subject to furnishing of bail bonds worth Rs 1 million. The judge also summoned case record from the FIA on the next hearing.
Earlier, a division bench of the Lahore High Court, comprising Justice Najam-ul-Hassan and Justice Mehmood Bajwa, rejected Rasool's petition, as he did not appear in person. Rasool's counsel Noor Jaspal requested protective bail for his client, who he said could not appear before the court fearing arrest by NAB officials.
Meanwhile, Khurram Rasool surrendered to the FIA, saying he has full confidence in the courts that they will provide him justice, as he was innocent. Rasool also said he was not appearing before the court, as he and his family were receiving death threats. The Supreme Court on January 25 had ordered the FIA director general to immediately arrest Rasool and produce him before it on January 27.
According to allegations, Khurram Rasool, while serving as PTV's media coordinator, had allegedly deceitfully minted over Rs 630 million on the assurance that he would manage an LPG quota and licence for oil export to NATO forces in Afghanistan, to two petitioner companies – Sahara Gas (Pvt) Limited and Pak Delta Enterprises (Pvt) Limited.
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