ISLAMABAD, May 18: The memo commission completed on Friday its formal proceedings during which it exhibited the electronic evidence produced by American businessman Mansoor Ijaz in support of his claim of drafting and delivering a memorandum to former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen at the behest of former ambassador Husain Haqqani.
At its last hearing, the commission headed by Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa recorded the statement of its secretary District and Sessions Judge Islamabad East Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan who had submitted the forensic report of electronic evidence -- BlackBerry messengers and email exchanges of Mr Ijaz and Mr Haqqani.
The secretary was cross-examined by Mr Ijaz’s counsel Akram Sheikh and the deputy attorney general.
Mr Haqqani’s lawyers did not attend the hearing because the former ambassador had boycotted the commission’s proceedings.
Advocate Akram said the forensic report proved that Mr Haqqani had engaged his client for drafting and delivering the memorandum to Admiral Mullen. He said expenses of forensic analysis should be recovered from Mr Haqqani because the commission had sent its secretary abroad after his denial to the electronic evidence.
He accused Mr Haqqani of paying $30,000 per month to American lobbyists Harlen Ullman and David Frum from his $7 million discretionary fund for damage control after the memogate scandal came into limelight.
The commission’s secretary said he had asked the parties to submit their proposals for protocol for the forensic test of electronic evidence on March 19. Mr Haqqani and Mr Ijaz sent their proposals through emails the following day.
“I proceeded to London on May 5 for the forensic test of electronic evidence contained in laptop and BlackBerry handsets of Mr Ijaz and offered him and Mr Haqqani to send any suggestion or witness the forensic test at the Pakistan’s High Commission in England.
“I selected a British company, System Technology Consultants Limited (Sytech), for the forensic test because of its reputation, accreditation, cost-effectiveness and their promise for expeditious processing,” the secretary added.
He said the company had deputed two experts -- Simon R Lynge, a forensic analyst, and Mark Dinshaw, an internet crime specialist -- for the analysis of Mr Ijaz’s handsets and laptop. The experts started their work on May 11 and submitted reports, along with their affidavits, on May 14.
The deputy attorney general asked the secretary under which criteria he had selected Sytech and how did he know that its experts were the best among others. The secretary said he had got information from the parties in the memo case and also checked through internet. Their selection was based on the cases they had solved in a certain period of time, he added.
Raja Jawad said he had informed Mr Ijaz and Mr Haqqani about the forensic test and also served notices on them prior to the forensic analysis.
The commission also took up an application of Barrister Zafarullah Khan who requested it to treat the evidence as completed and placed them before the Supreme Court for further proceedings.
He said Mr Haqqani had been found guilty after the forensic test and this was the reason he did not appear before the commission despite issuance of several summons.
The commission had summoned the foreign secretary, along with details of secret funds used by Mr Haqqani during his ambassadorship, but he did not appear because of his engagements abroad.
The commission decided to convene another in-camera meeting with the foreign secretary and announced the completion of formal proceedings of the memo investigation.