LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the accountability courts to decide the pending cases of mega land scams involving National Insurance Corporation Limited (NICL) on priority.
The five-year-old scandal had brought Mohsin Habib Warraich, former NICL chairperson Ayaz Khan Niazi, then commerce minister (late) Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s corruption to light. The trio along several others had pocketed large sums of money while purchasing official land.
During the hearing of the case at the SC Lahore Registry, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar gave the accountability courts of Lahore and Karachi a deadline of 10 days to decide the four references.
Furthermore, the apex court besides summoning records of all cases that are pending in the accountability courts also ordered the arrest of Mohsin Habib Warraich for the second time.
Earlier on May 13, the court had ordered the immediate arrest of both primary accused Mohsin Habib Warraich and Ayaz Khan Niazi, however, only Niazi was apprehended.
The CJP while expressing his suspicion at the sluggish progress of the corruption case commented that it seemed as if the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was letting off the culprits. He assured that justice would be served in spite of obstacles.
In 2013, the SC had ruled that NAB would initiate an investigation into the financial embezzlement after concluding that Ayaz Khan Niazi’s appointment in NICL was a violation of the rules.
