RAWALPINDI, Feb 16: The counsel for property tycoon Malik Riaz and two agencies investigating a land fraud case levelled serious allegations against each other in the accountability court on Saturday.

Annoyed over the move, AC Judge Chaudhry Abdul Haq had to discontinue the proceeding for an hour.

The court had taken up an application filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking permission for withdrawal of the corruption references against Malik Riaz and his son Ali Riaz in the 1,401 kanals land fraud case.

The sudden appearance of Sadaqat Ali Khan, the prosecutor general (PG) Punjab, before the court angered NAB prosecutors and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the counsel for Malik Riaz. Mr Sadaqat was representing the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Punjab.

Barrister Khan demanded the court to “kick out” the prosecutor general because according to him he (the PG) was a ‘stranger’ to the court and had no link with the land fraud case.

He alleged that Mr Sadaqat wanted to please some quarters by disrupting the smooth functioning of the court. He warned the court to take action against the PG “otherwise we will teach him a lesson.”

He added: “I object to his (PG’s) presence in the court in a strongest possible term,” In fact, he is here to save his job, he added.

Mr Khan also said the PG had brought a number of lawyers and policemen in order to put pressure on the court. “But I believe that the judiciary is fully independent and this matter will be decided in accordance with the law.”

He told the court that after the decision by the LHC on September 19, 2012, the ACE in October had transferred the case to NAB. “The matter is now with the bureau and only NAB prosecutors would argue the case in the accountability court,” he maintained. Barrister Saeedur Rehman, the NAB additional deputy prosecutor general, also objected to the presence of the prosecutor general of Punjab in the court.

“This is a matter of principles and the PG Punjab should not be permitted to argue this case in the accountability court,” he contended.

Some prosecutors from the Punjab, who were present in the court, raised their voice in support of their boss.

Mr Sadaqat, on the other hand, alleged that NAB was a dummy organisation and its chairman admiral (retired) Fasih Bokhari had become a puppet in the hands of Malik Riaz.

He said there were over two dozen accused persons in the land fraud case but NAB had exonerated only Malik Riaz and his son Ali Riaz.

He said the chairman NAB had committed contempt of court by re-investigating the land fraud case in which the bureau had found property tycoon and his son not guilty.

According to him, the LHC while deciding the ACE petition had validated the ACE inquiry in which both the father and son had been declared guilty.

The counsel then lost patience and started attacking on the personalities of each other.

They went into such an extent that the judge had to stand up and warned that he would not hear the case in such a situation.

“It is my discretion to hear someone or not, but it seems that everybody is trying to exercise my powers,” he remarked.

“The counsel should not dictate me and I’ll decide the fate of PG Sadaqat’s plea after hearing his arguments.” He then left the court but resumed the hearing after an hour.

The court issued arrest warrants for four accused persons - Milad Bibi, Ashfaq Hussain, Dildar Hussain and Iqbal Hussain - in the case.

The counsel for the property tycoon submitted surety bonds worth Rs5 million each for Malik Riaz and his son Ali Riaz.

Further hearing of the case was put off till February 22. On the next date of hearing, the court would hear arguments of the prosecutor general Punjab before passing an order on NAB’s plea.

It may be mentioned that the Punjab prosecution has also filed a contempt of court petition with LHC against the NAB chairman for giving a clean chit to the property tycoon and his son in the 1,401 kanal land fraud case. A division bench will take up the petition on February 18.