SC gives FIA 2 days to arrest Khurram Rasool
26 January, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave until January 27 to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest Khurram Rasool, former media coordinator PTV, and his brother – accused of a Rs 630 million fraud – and produce them before the court. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervaiz, heard the petition filed by a businessman Pervaiz Hussain and others The court further ordered the FIA to record the statement of Nargis Sethi, former principal secretary to the prime minister, who had filed a complaint against Khurram Rasool. The bench, in its order, also warned FIA Director General Tehsin Anwar Shah to comply with the court's directives of arresting the accused, saying that failure in doing so would have "serious legal consequences". Moreover, FIA Additional Director General Sajjad Ahmed apprised the bench that they had received the statement of Khushnood Lashari, principal secretary to the prime minister, and former directors general of FIA, Waseem Ahmed and Malik Iqbal. The three had denied allegations of influencing investigation into the case. Expressing dissatisfaction over the FIA's investigation process, the CJ observed that if they had arrested Khurram in time, the matter would not have reached to such a level. He also questioned the petitioner's status and objected to the language he used in the letters he had sent to higher authorities. "Orders of the court are being flouted. The FIA DG has been dodging the court," the chief justice observed. During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that if the allegations were proved right, then it would be a massive crisis for the country, as the prime minister and his secretaries had been named in the case. At the outset of hearing, the chief justice directed FIA Additional Director General Sajjad Ahmed to record statements of Pervaiz Hussain's son, Sameer Hussain, as well as Nargis Sethi, under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The additional DG informed the court that the assistant commissioner Industrial Areas, Islamabad, was recording Sameer Hussain's statement. The chief justice also asked the FIA ADG why Khurram Rasool had not been arrested yet, to which Sajjad Ahmed replied that raids had been conducted at various places for the arrest of Rasool and his brother, Shahid. He then sought a week's time for the arrests. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain remarked that if the police wanted, they could arrest the culprits within no time. He added that the FIA had brought an accused from Bangkok in three days, and also recovered Rs 30 million from him. The court observed that the FIA DG had been issued multiple orders to produce Khurram Rasool and his brother in court, but so far he has failed to do so. It directed the FIA additional DG to pass on the message to DG Tehsin Anwar to produce the accused at the earliest, and adjourned hearing until Friday. End.
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