PESHAWAR, March 18: The Peshawar High Court on Monday served a show-cause notice on an investigation officer of the Federal Investigation Agency, asking him to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Qaim Jan Khan, directed the official, Roohul Ameen, who is sub-inspector in the FIA Commercial Banking Circle, to submit his reply on March 26.

The official had earlier been directed by the PHC to submit a chargesheet against an accountant of HBL, Muhammad Aslam, in an embezzlement case to the court concerned within 15 days. However, despite the passage of about six months, the official did not submit the chargesheet.

On Monday, the bench took up a bail application of the accountant.

The applicant’s counsel, Fazal Kareem, informed the court that on Oct 17, 2001, the court had not granted bail to the applicant with the directives to the FIA to submit a chargesheet against him within 15 days. He stated that the chargesheet had yet to be submitted to the court.

Deputy Attorney-General Salahuddin Khan contended that bail applications of other co-accused were pending before a special judge due to which the file concerned was with that court and the investigation officer could not submit the chargesheet.

Justice Mulk asked the FIA officer why during the last more than five months, he had not complied with the court’s order.

The officer claimed that he had not been aware about the orders of the high court and the file was with the special court. The bench observed that no effort had been made by the officer for acquiring the file from the court.

The applicant and other co-accused were charged with embezzling about Rs15 million from HBL, Saddar Road Branch.