NICL case: SC says money trail leads to Amin Fahim
06 March, 2013
ISLAMABAD: During the hearing of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scandal case on Tuesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that the money trail leads to the home of Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
Hearing suo motu case regarding violation of the Public Procurement Rules, 2004 by the NICL which caused loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer, the Supreme Court has questioned FIA why is it not taking action against Amin Fahim over the illegal appointment of NICL chairman Ayaz Niazi. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, asked whether the FIA wanted to prove that rich or influential people were above the law in the country. "Everyone investigating the case was making mockery of the court, as influential persons were being spared," remarked the chief justice.
Meanwhile, the court directed FIA DG to appear before it and explain why an FIA officer facing contempt charges is being allowed to probe the NICL scandal. The bench noted that FIA Lahore Director Waqar Haider was still attached with the investigations of the case and issued notices to FIA DG Muhammad Anwar Virk to explain why the officer was not detached from the investigations.
Waqar Haidar is accused of giving benefit to Moonis Elahi by de-freezing two of his accounts containing Rs 20 million, on fake letters. The court directed Federal Commerce Secretary Munir Qureshi to submit the complete report regarding actions taken against the persons involved in the scandal, number of people arrested and bails cancelled in the case by March 1. "Everything in the case had been reduced to a farce. The prosecution is working on chance and waiting for the accused to return to the country," observed Justice Azmat Saeed.
Meanwhile, Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that the money trail leads to Makhdoom Amin Faheem, while the FIA has except recovering the money not taken any action as far as criminal liability was concerned. The court was reacting to the arguments forwarded by Aadvocate Munir Paracha, who was representing FIA Karachi in the case, that investigation report under section 173 of Criminal Procedure Code except Amin Fahim.
The FIA lawyer said five different criminal cases had been registered so far and red warrants had been issued for the absconding accused, including four directors of the NICL. The bench expressed dissatisfaction over the commerce secretary's response that Rs 2.12 had been recovered from the total estimated loss of Rs 2.6 billion. Secretary Qureshi also could not convince the bench about why the slot of NICL chairman had been laying vacant for the last one month. The hearing of the case has been adjourned till Monday.
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