LAHORE, Oct 1: Another Ehtesab appellate bench on Friday declined to hear the appeal of National Assembly's former deputy speaker Haji Nawaz Khokhar against his conviction by an accountability court.

Justice Mohammad Bilal Khan, a member of the bench along with Justice Sheikh Abdur Rashid, expressed his inability to hear the appeal saying he was the counsel of the petitioner in a case.

Mr Khokhar's counsel Manzoor Ahmad Malik submitted that he had no objection to the learned judge sitting on the bench because he was not the appellant's defence counsel in this particular case.

Later, the appeal was referred to the chief justice for the constitution of a new appellate bench to hear the plea. This is the third time since July that similar situations have taken place.

In the first instance Justice Sayeed Akhtar declined to sit on the bench "on personal grounds" along with Justice Tasaddaq Husain Jilani on July 15. Later, Justice Muzammil also declined to hear the appeal in a bench with Justice Sheikh Abdur Rashid on Sept 15.

Mr Khokhar submitted the appeal against three-year rigorous imprisonment and Rs1,896,000 fine handed down by an accountability court in a reference which charged him for not depositing in time the commutation fee in the purchase of land near Islamabad. Nawaz Khokhar is serving the prison term in the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

HASHMI CASE: Two prosecution witnesses, including an income tax officer, were on Friday cross-examined by the counsel of ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi. The accountability court deferred further proceedings in the reference till Oct 13.