The Sindh High Court (SHC) transferred on Monday the case pertaining to Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) scam from the Anti-corruption Court Central-II to Anti-corruption Court Central-I after a suspect, EOBI’s former director general expressed no confidence on the judge.
A single bench comprising Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar allowed the transfer application filed by former director general of the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) Wahid Khursheed Kunwar.
The court directed the judge of Anti-corruption Court Central-I to proceed with the matter expeditiously and strictly in accordance with the law and decide the case through speaking order.
Counsel for the applicant submitted that the judge of Anti-corruption Court Central-II had indicted the suspects on the corruption charges in October 2013 and recorded the statements of two prosecution witnesses.
He said the applicant was booked for his alleged involvement in the purchase of four-acre land in Malir on exorbitant rate that caused huge financial loss to the national exchequer. The counsel stated his client had serious grievance against the lady judge of Anti-corruption Court Central-II and apprehend that she will not conduct fair trial guaranteed under Article 10-A the Constitution. He alleged that attitude of the judge is biased and not as per norms set for a judge.
Therefore he requested the court to order the transfer of case from Anti-corruption Court Central-II to another court.
According to the FIR, the EOBI top management including applicant gave the go-ahead for purchase of a piece of land from Nighat Asad and Maham Asad at very exorbitant rate, whereas the actual rake of the land was much lower.