ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court hearing the implementation of the landmark 2012 Asghar Khan case on a financial scam of the 1990s has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to come up with a report highlighting banks showing reluctance to offer information about those who allegedly received money in the scam.

A two-judge SC bench consisting of Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan on Tuesday took up the case relating to the implementation of Air Marshal Asghar Khan case, which concerns dishing out Rs140 million among politicians allegedly by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) before the 1990 general elections. The case will again be taken up on April 22.

In its report, FIA had informed the court that some of the banks were showing reluctance by not providing the record about recipients of funds.

At the last hearing on Feb 11, the apex court had asked the FIA as well as the army authorities to furnish their reports highlighting updates of their respective inquiries into the matter.

Read:SC wants defence ministry reply on Asghar Khan case verdict implementation in 4 weeks

Senior counsel Salman Akram Raja representing the legal heirs of Asghar Khan argued that the agency had not taken action against those who had confessed before the apex court that they had distributed the money through their affidavits.

But Justice Saeed observed that the court would not like to be distracted, rather it would get to the bottom of the case by proceeding step by step in a manner that might lead to the conviction of persons found involved in distribution and receiving of money. Therefore, those who received the money should be identified, Justice Saeed observed.

During the hearing the defence representative namely Director (Legal), Ministry of Defence, Falak Naz was again ordered by the court to furnish a report about investigation done against the army officers allegedly involved in distribution of funds among politicians before the 1990 election.

Earlier in its report, the FIA had pleaded before the apex court that its investigation into the financial scam had reached a dead end despite the fact that they had sincerely tried to unearth the facts and bring truth to light.

Through its 2012 judgement the SC had asked the federal government to take necessary action under the law against former army chief retired Gen Aslam Beg and ISI’s former director general retired Lt Gen Asad Durrani for their role in facilitating a group of politicians and political parties to ensure their success against rival candidates in the 1990 election by dishing out Rs140m.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2019