The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting Pakistan People’s Party leader and former federal commerce minister Amin Fahim in cases pertaining to multi-billion rupees trade subsidy scam.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, who headed the SHC division bench, issued notices to interior secretary, FIA director general and others to submit their respective comments on the petition by July 17. The court directed FIA officials investigating the FIRs of the cases against the PPP leader to appear before court, along with relevant records of the cases.
The petitioner’s counsel, Farooq H Naik, said that the FIA had nominated the PPP leader in 12 FIRs pertaining to the scam and filed 12 final charge-sheets in trial court against him but it has yet failed to place on record any incriminating evidence to corroborate Fahim’s involvement in the scam.
He said that though the SHC had allowed Fahim protective bail, which was valid till July 10, in all 12 FIRs lodged in pursuance of enquiry (38/2012) into multi-billion rupees trade subsidy scam, the FIA was hatching conspiracies to involve Fahim in some more cases in order to harass him. He said that the petitioner had learnt that FIA, in connivance with Fahim’s political rivals, might register several similar cases.
He requested the court to direct FIA to divulge the exact number of FIRs which have been registered against Fahim in respect of the enquiry and restrain it from lodging more cases without the court’s permission.
It was also pleaded that the court direct FIA to submit a consolidated charge-sheet in all cases before trial court and also order one court to conduct a trial in respect of all FIRs.
After preliminary hearing, the bench ruled that the petitioner shall not be arrested in other FIRs lodged in pursuance of enquiry (38/2012). It further directed the FIA to disclose the FIRs in which petitioner was nominated.
Earlier, on July 25, the court had granted protective bail to Fahim that enabled him to participate in the funeral rites of his elder brother Makhdoom Naveed-uz-Zaman and surrender in the trial court.
The FIA has registered cases against two PPP leaders, including former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Fahim and some senior officials of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), for their alleged involvement in approving and disbursing fraudulent trade subsidies of millions of rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and backdated cheques.