ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned proceedings in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference involving Rs 1.2 billion alleged money laundering by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members till Friday due to unavailability of a judge who is part of the bench seized with the hearing of the case.
The Hudaibiya case is being heard by a three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel. When the bench resumed the hearing on Wednesday, Justice Mushir Alam stated that one of the members of the bench, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel, was not available due to a sudden casualty in his family, thus the bench was incomplete and unable to proceed on the case. “We will hear the case most probably day after tomorrow (Friday) subject to the availability of Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel,” he stated. Justice Alam inquired from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Imranul Haq that how much more time would he take. The prosecutor stated that he had almost completed his arguments. Justice Alam asked him that he still has to provide the trail of the events of the case and the relevant documents. “We are not deciding the matter on merit, as may be the trial court would look into it but you convince us on the issue of limitation,” he asked the prosecutor.
On the last hearing, the court had directed the NAB to furnish details of incriminating evidences that could establish that the accused had committed an offence in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills money laundering scam involving Rs 1.2 billion.
Published in Daily Times, December 14th 2017.
