ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) again said that Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, a former judge of the Supreme Court, can cross-examine the witnesses, appearing against him in land scams, but if he or no one appears then it would be deemed that the ex-judge has nothing in his defence.
The SJC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is also chairman of the Council, and comprises two most senior judges of the Supreme Court – Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, and – Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief Justice Naeem Afghan, on Thursday, heard the complaints against former SC judge in Courtroom No1 as former judge had asked the Council that his case be heard in the open court.
Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, who is the prosecutor in the complaint against Naqvi, produced two more witnesses – Manager Askari Bank, Cantt branch, Lahore, and Malik Zahid Rafiq, owner of Lahore Smart City and Capital Smart City (Private) Limited.
The manager Askari Bank, in pursuance of the Council’s direction, provided documents related to two pay orders of Rs50 million each, which Naqvi’s sons had given to Chaudhry Shahbaz, husband of Bisma Warsi, in exchange for plot 100/102 adjacent to St John’s Park, Lahore.
Malik Zahid Rafiq informed the Council that he owns eight companies, and has been in property business for the last four decades. He said that through land provider Raja Safdar he met with Mazahar Naqvi, and had two meetings with the ex-SC judge at his residence. He said that he had been paying Rs150,000/- per month to the law firm of Mazahar Naqvi’s sons.
Rafiq stated that he sent 5,000 UK Pounds to Naqvi’s daughter, who was in London. He apprised that yet the ex-judge had not returned that amount. He said on April 16, 2019, he gave two plots of 500 sqyds to Naqvi’s sons, who have sold them.
Chaudhry Muhammad Shahbaz, husband of Bisma Warsi, informed the SJC that in dishonour of bank cheque his wife had appeared in the court of Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, when he was a judge of LHC.
Bisma had died on 6-12-2020. She was the owner of plot 100/102 adjacent to St John’s Park, Lahore, which her husband Shahbaz sold to the ex-SC judge after Bisma’s death.
Ten prosecution witnesses, including Abdul Ghafar, Deputy Military State Officer, Lahore, Kashi Shehzad, Executive Officer Lahore Cantonment Board, Asif Aziz, Director of a private evaluation company, Muhammad Kashif Rehman, Director of another private evaluation company, Jehangir Khan Khattak, Regional Director NADRA, Lahore, Jazeela Aslam, Secretary SJC, Chaudhry Muhammad Shahbaz, who sold the plot to Justice Naqvi, Mohammad Safdar Khan, who purchased House No114-E, Gulberg, Lahore, from the ex-SC judge, and two officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board regarding two shops in Diyal Singh Mansion so far have recorded their statements and provided the relevant documents to the Council.
A five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Aminud Din Khan, on February 21, by a majority of 4 to 1, held that if the SJC initiates proceedings against a judge then it shall not abate with his retirement, and it is prerogative of the Council to continue with the
matter accordingly.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments
Comments are closed.