The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit its investigation report unearthing an additional corruption of Rs 18 billion in the NICL scam, which it disclosed to the parliamentary committee last week. A three-member Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing the NICL scam case.
The chief justice observed that the court’s burden would reduce if the parliamentary committee were effective. The court also gave another chance to FIA Director General Malik Muhammad Iqbal to reappoint Additional Director General Zafar Ahmed Qureshi to lead the probe into the NICL scam. The chief justice observed that the FIA DG had admitted that he had committed contempt of court by transferring Qureshi and the court would not allow anyone to dishonor and flout the judicial order.
Makhdoom Ali Khan, lawyer for the FIA DG, requested the court to grant some time to his client for reappointing Qureshi to investigate the NICL scam, as his client was trying to contact the prime minister who was being kept busy by security-related issues. He said the FIA DG had already left himself on the court’s mercy. The chief justice said there was a difference between mercy and justice, and courts always served justice.
He said if the court punished the FIA head in the case, all of his past deeds would also be declared illegal. Justice Muhammad Sair Ali observed that the court could show mercy only after the reposting of Zafar Qureshi. The chief justice directed the FIA Karachi Director (Investigating Officer) Muazzam Jah to appear in person and submit his investigation report into the NICL scam that he tabled before the parliamentary committee, as the court had not been informed of the latest findings of an additional Rs 18 billion corruption in the NICL.
“It seems that FIA DG will transfer Muazzam Jah as well,” he said. The court allowed two more days to Malik Iqbal for reposting Zafar Qureshi to lead the NICL scam probe and adjourned the proceedings until May 27.
