SC to indict Malik Riaz on 16th

The Supreme Court on Friday served notices to the attorney general for indicting property tycoon Malik Riaz for contempt of court on July 16, the other central character in the graft scam, Arsalan Iftikhar has filed a review petition in the SC pleading the court to make the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and Salman Ahmed parties to the case.
A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Shakirullah Jan, Justice Ejaz Afzal and Justice Athar Saeed was hearing the show-cause notice and petitions pertaining to contempt of court against Riaz.
Riaz had been issued a show-cause notice on June 13 for leveling allegations at Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry during his press conference on June 12.
During Friday’s hearing, Riaz’s counsel Dr Abdul Basit requested the bench to allow his client to travel abroad for medical treatment and exempt him for regular court appearances.
But the bench rejected the request and said it was a court, not a court martial, and unless the court ruled otherwise, Riaz had to come for hearing.
However, Justice Jan told the counsel to submit the application and said the bench would decide on it once Riaz has been indicted for contempt.
In his remarks, Justice Jan said that as such, Riaz had committed contempt of court.
The bench further said it would continue hearing the case and issued a notice to Attorney General Irfan Qadir for July 16 for indictment of Malik Riaz and appointed AG as prosecution, saying in absence of the attorney general, the deputy AG would be the prosecutor.
Riaz had tendered an unconditional apology for his press conference in which he had hurled serious, but contradictory charges against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and his son, Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, on an issue that is sub judice, and in defiance of an apex court order to speak to the media.
In his apology, he had said that his presser had given the court an impression that he was targeting the chief justice and his family.
In another development, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s son Arsalan Iftikhar filed a review petition in the Supreme Court pleading the court to make the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and Salman Ahmed parties to the case.
According to reports, in his review petition Arsalan said the members of a joint investigation team of NAB, formed to probe accusations levelled against him by Malik Riaz, had close links with the real estate tycoon, including the team head Quasar Iqbal and SP Faisal Memon.
He said Iqbal had a house in the executive lodges of Bahria Town and in this perspective the joint investigation team had become controversial and it might influence the process of a fair investigation.
Elaborating the working the investigation team, Arsalan said some members of the team were “characterless”, as they had received perks from Malik Riaz.
He said due to the wrong interpretation of the court orders by the attorney general, the case was transferred to NAB as the court did not direct the AG to forward the case to NAB, adding that the court orders were not implemented appropriately.
The review petition has requested to make the federation, Malik Riaz, Ali Ahmed Riaz and Bahria Town party in the case.
Another miscellaneous petition has also been filed requesting to make NAB chairman and Salman Ahmed parties to the case.