An Appellate bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) for accountability courts on Wednesday ordered production of former Chief of Naval Staff Mansoor-ul-Haq and Commodore Mirza Ashfaq Baig (Retd) on February 26, while hearing the appeals filed by the accused assailing their conviction and sentence recorded by an accountability court in Karachi.
Earlier, the bench comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Mohammad Mujeebullah Siddiqui heard arguments by Azizullah K. Shaikh, advocate, counsel for Mirza Ashfaq Baig.
The counsel for appellant said his client was sentenced only on charge that he first rejected the vessel 'Apollonia', but later approved its purchase.
Reading out the evidence of Prosecution Witness (PW) Mehmood Ali, the then general manager, PNSC and head of the planning department, he submitted that PW Mehmood Ali has admitted that classification report was different with the sellers' report at which accused Baig rejected the vessel after inspection.
PW Mehmood has admitted that rejection in the first instance/inspection and approval after second inspection was rightly decided by the accused, submitted the counsel.
The bench after hearing the counsel at length adjourned further hearing till Thursday ordering production of both appellants/accused before court on February 26.
Both appellants were sentenced and fined by an the accountability court at Karachi on charge of causing loss of millions of rupees to PNSC in purchase of three vessels.