ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: The commission investigating the high-profile case involving property tycoon Malik Riaz and Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of chief justice, has issued a contempt notice to Director General of Federal Investigation Agency for replacing two senior officials who were investigating the case.

The commission has also accused the interior ministry of not complying with its orders for putting the names of Malik Riaz and Arsalan Iftikhar on the Exit Control List.

In a letter to FIA’s director general Anwar Virk, the commission observed that transferring two senior officials of the agency investigating the case would hamper the pace of the ongoing proceedings of the commission and the ‘willful defiance’ shown by the FIA is tantamount to contempt.

“DG FIA is required to immediately cancel these transfer orders or submit his written reply in three days as to why contempt proceedings may not be initiated against him for impeding the work of the commission,” the notice said.

The commission said that two senior FIA officials, Shahid Nadeem Baloch and forensic expert Muhammed Akram, had been transferred from their posts overnight to scuttle the probe.

Interior Ministry has already filed a reply before the commission on putting the names of Malik Riaz, Arsalan Iftikhar and others on the ECL and said the matter is under active consideration of the law and interior divisions. “Ministry’s position shall be made known on the issue involved after receipt of Law Division’s reply within a couple of days,” the interior ministry said in a letter dated Oct 19. But the commission has not received reply till now.

Malik Riaz is currently in the UK and is expected to arrive in two days. However, he has refused to appear before the commission despite repeated orders citing his petition in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the commission.

A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Jawad Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif will take up the application of Malik Riaz next week.

Selective media leaks which created a storm in the country suggested that the property tycoon had allegedly paid millions of rupees to the son of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in an apparent attempt to influence the superior judicary.

Arsalan Iftikhar has denied the allegation claiming that he did not take any money from Malik Riaz.

Meanwhile, the Federal Board of Revenue has provided the income tax returns and business details of Malik Riaz and Arsalan Iftikhar which, according to officials of the commission, are being examined by chartered accountants.