–ARU, Law Ministry bound to act against judges in case of ‘verified’ information
The government on Sunday defended the misconduct reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa for allegedly owning undeclared foreign properties.
In a joint notification issued on Sunday, Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) and Law Ministry said that the former had been informed about the existence of undeclared foreign properties owned by three senior judges and it had referred the matter to Law Ministry as it had the authority to initiate relevant action under the Rules of Business (1973).
The notification said that the ministry had asked ARU to verify the matter. ARU worked in collaboration with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to gather information on the undeclared properties, the notification added.
The notification stated that action can only be initiated once the information has been verified. In this regard, it added, the registries of the properties have been verified by the Pakistani High Commission in the United Kingdom. The matter will now be presented before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for further action.
The notification further stated that had the president and prime minister not filed the reference under Article 209, they would have neglected their duties. “The president, prime minister, Law Ministry and ARU strongly believe in law, Constitution and the judiciary’s freedom,” the notification concluded.
