The Supreme Court (SC) while hearing the Aashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case instructed the National Accountability Bureau officials to ‘work properly’.
A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Azmat Saeed heard pleas of Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme suspects Munir Zia and Imtiaz Haider on Monday. During the hearing, the assistant counsel of the suspects requested that the hearing be adjourned for three days since Munir Zia’s lawyer was occupied with cases being heard at the SC’s Lahore Registry.
At this, Justice Saeed asked the NAB prosecutor what the case was about. “The suspects caused a loss to the national exchequer through the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme. Someone else had won the contract but it was awarded to a company named CASA,” said the prosecutor. Justice Saeed then inquired if NAB had caught the CASA owner, the bureau’s investigation officer (IO) then informed the court that CASA was a joint venture of three companies. “An interim reference has been filed against six suspects,” he added.
“Former Punjab chief minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif and Fawad Hasan Fawad have been arrested in connection to the case and investigated. A final reference will be filed later,” he informed the court. “If CASA is a joint venture of three companies then how have only six suspects been arrested?” Justice Saeed then inquired. “NAB officials should start working properly,” he asserted.
Moreover, the judge asked whether the main suspect in the case had requested the court for bail. “Suspect Ahad Cheema has not filed a request yet,” he was told. “This is an important case and NAB should investigate properly. We are not making any decision today as counsels are not present,” remarked Justice Saeed.
The hearing of the case was then adjourned till November 29. It is worth mentioning that Shehbaz had been in NAB’s custody since October 5 in connection to the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case. His son, Hamza Shehbaz, had also been summoned for questioning in the case.
Published in Daily Times, November 20th 2018.
