Adjourning the hearing of National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL) corruption case on Thursday, the Supreme Court summoned former secretaries of Interior and establishment and former Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain was hearing the NICL land scam case.
Expressing dissatisfaction over a lacklustre performance of FIA in probing the NICL scam, the Chief Justice inquired from DG FIA why the Agency had failed to recover money. During the course of proceedings, Director Legal FIA Muhammad Azam Khan apprised the bench that Rs 480 million was recovered from Lahore in the case so far. He further informed the court that criminal cases were registered against those found involved in the scam. They included members of the Warraich family after their cheques had bounced. The bench was also apprised that Mohsin Warraich, one of the alleged offenders in the case, fled to the UK where he was trying to get political asylum. Upon which, the CJP asked the concerned authority to annul Mohsin's passport.
The Chief Justice categorically said: "If the looted money or Rs 420 million is not recovered from Mohsin Warriach then a criminal case would be registered against the Director FIA Lahore Waqar Haider". Expressing his dismay against non-registration of an FIR, the Chief Justice asked FIA why no action was taken against culprits, adding that if FIA failed to show any progress in the instant case, the case would be referred to National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Reissuing notices to advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat over a media campaign against Judiciary the court directed both of them to submit their replies during the next hearing. Later, hearing was adjourned for three weeks.