Court seeks arguments in Shaukat Aziz illegal appointments case

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday summoned arguments in a case related to illegal appointments by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz on January 28, ARY News reported.

The former prime minister Shaukat Aziz is accused of misuse of powers while being in power.

Meanwhile, the co accused in the case, former federal minister, Liaquat Jatoi filed plea in the court for his acquittal from the case.

Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, Jatoi’s lawyer said, according to the new laws of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) my client cannot be trialed.

He pleaded the court to pass orders for Liaquat Jatoi’s acquittal from the case. The court has issued notice to the anti-graft watchdog body over Jatoi’s plea.

It is pertinent to mention here that Shaukat Aziz had not been appearing before the court since long in a corruption reference filed against him by National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The case against Aziz

NAB had filed a reference against Shaukat Aziz, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2004 to 2007 – over misuse of powers during his tenure as prime minister.

NAB contends that he had illegally appointed Mr Basharat Hasan Bashir as a consultant for the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) on Management Position-II (MP-II) pay scale.

The accountability watchdog maintains that the appointment of Bashir violated MP scale policy guidelines and the board’s regulations.

Basharat Hasan Bashir was appointed on January 1st, 2006 without open competition, NAB says.

After expiry of his consultancy contract in May 2008, Basharat Hasan Bashir illegally held the said post for almost five years without any extension, notification or regular appointment and kept on enjoying salary and all perks and privileges illegally in connivance with the management of AEDB.