ISLAMBAD - The National Accountability Bureau filed an application to the Supreme Court on Thursday to constitute a larger bench for hearing the review petition on Hudaibya Papers Mills.
The NAB had filed the review petition on January 15, wherein it prayed to condone the delay and issue notices to respondents in the larger interest of justice.
The apex court’s detailed judgement, authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, had dismissed the NAB appeal to reopen the Hudaibya Mills case. The NAB has made Hudaibya Paper Mills, Ltd, Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Mian Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Humza Shahbaz, Shamim Akhtar, Sabiha Abbas, Maryam Safdar, federation and judge Accountability Court, Rawalpindi, as respondents.
The judgment said the matter could not be investigated again, adding that the LHC correctly had rejected the reference. The court said the NAB didn't show interest when it had opportunity as it had failed to produce the suspects before the court.
The NAB review petition said the Sharif family was never subjected to intensive investigation because they never remained in the custody of the NAB in the Reference No. 05/2000. There is not an iota of evidence that NAB had/has any animosity against the Hudaibya Mills and Nawaz Sharif hence the reference in this behalf in the paragraph No. 23 is incorrect.
The petition further said it was not right that after 2007, the regime of General Pervez Musharraf or of the PPP are inimical towards PML-N rather they were instrumental in bringing back Sharif family into the political arena.
The petition said the top court had not considered some material aspects of the case, errors surfaced in the judgment and the adverse finding, remarks and observations call for correction. “The errors floating on the surface of the judgment needed to be addressed,” it added.
The NAB said that the detailed judgment is in conflict with the settled principle of law that when a case is not considered as maintainable on technical grounds then the court should not embark upon merits of the case. If the court entered into deliberation of case on merits, then it should have sought guidance from the judgment rendered by this court in the Panama case.
The NAB said that the petition was not declined merely on the ground of limitation but was dismissed on merits too. When this court discussed the merits of the case, then the maintainability of writ petition before High Court whilst trial court had taken cognizance of the offence and during pendency thereof should have been decided first before embarking upon merits of the case.
SC SEEKS DETAILS OF FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNTS OF PAKISTANIS
INP adds: The Supreme Court on Thursday took suo motu notice of funds deposited in foreign bank accounts and foreign assets held by Pakistani citizens.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar remarked that many Pakistanis in enjoying power held accounts in foreign banks and had been looting the country’s money and transferring it abroad through illegal channels. The CJP observed that the money looted and deposited in overseas bank accounts was a national asset and had to be brought back to Pakistan.
The Supreme Court directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to submit details of all such wealth stored abroad by Pakistanis.
The SBP, Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence and Federal Investigation Agency should share their information with the court, the chief justice instructed.
