SC summons NAB officer for misusing court's name
10 January, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Expressing annoyance over the removal of NAB's investigation team in the rental power projects (RPPs) corruption case, the Supreme Court has summoned NAB Principal Secretary Brigadier (r) Farooq Nasir Awan today (Thursday) to explain why criminal action should not be taken against him for misusing the Supreme Court's name for the removal of the investigating officers (IOs) The court has inquired from the former army officer why false and baseless attribution had been made by him in the name of apex court. Hearing the suo motu case about the implementation of its judgement in RPPs case, it also observed that instead of removing IOs in RPPs corruption case, why should not the NAB chairman be sent home. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has sought progress report from NAB's prosecutor general about each RPP case today. The bench has also asked the NAB officials what action they had taken against the accused in view of the Supreme Court's judgment in RPPs corruption case. NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Fauzi Zafar requested the court to adjourn the case for one week, as his boss NAB Prosecutor General KK Agha is out of country. The court, however, rejecting his plea for adjournment, asked him whether NAB had taken action against those were accused in the RPPs case. Meanwhile, Raja Amir Abbas, who appeared on behalf of the investigating officers, told the bench that NAB had removed all the investigating officers, including Shahzad Bhatti and Asghar Khan, from the RPPs' case. He also said that the investigating officers had submitted their investigation report at the NAB headquarter for filing of references against the accused persons. The learned counsel further said that the principal secretary (PS) to NAB had removed the investigating officers by saying that the Supreme Court was not happy with them in the case. Raja Amir also furnished a letter of their clients' removal. Upon this, the chief justice, expressing annoyance over the PS to NAB for misusing the name of the Supreme Court, ordered him to appear before the court within 15 minutes. Despite the court's direction, Brigadier (r) Farooq Awan did not come to the court. The CJP observed that despite issuing a show cause-notice, they would ask registration of an FIR against the former military officer because he was allegedly involved in forgery by misusing the name of Supreme Court. Hearing of the case was adjourned till today (Thursday). End.
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