ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned a judge of the accountability court Lahore and censured the investigation officer for rearresting a petitioner released on bail by the apex court.

The bench consisted of Chief Justice Shaikh Riaz Ahmed, Justice Qazi Mohammad Farooq and Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi.

The chief justice expressed his dismay over the “clandestine and clever” move on the part of the NAB to sabotage apex court’s orders.

“Tell NAB authorities to restrain themselves from harassing people,” the chief justice told the prosecutor-general NAB.

The chief justice further observed that accountability cases had been lingering on for years in courts which reflected on the performance of NAB.

Justice Nawaz Abbasi observed that the NAB must have approached the apex court before rearresting the petitioner.

When asked, Investigation Officer Tariq Mehmood Sukhera of Police Department submitted before the court that the accused was wanted in another reference and his arrest was ordered by Judge Rana Abdul Ghaffar of Accountability Court Lahore.

Petitioner Hammad Riaz was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Nov 12, 2002, but was rearrested. The NAB had arrested him in a loan default reference. The accused had drawn a loan in 1987 from the National Industrial Finance Corporation (NIFC) and Pasban Cooperative.

The petitioner maintained that the loan had been adjusted and settled. Senior advocate Waseem Sajjad appeared on his behalf. —APP