Hajj corruption scandal: Pak SC cracks down on investigating agency

ISLAMABAD - Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday said the apex court would not let anyone hush up the Hajj corruption scandal.

Pulling up the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over the way it was conducting the investigation, Chaudhry directed the government to remove FIA Director General Wasim Ahmed from the case.

According to The Daily Times, the Supreme Court appreciated the government for paying 700 Saudi riyals to the affected pilgrims of five maktabs, who were provided inappropriate accommodations during the performance of Hajj.

A seven-member bench of the apex court comprising the Chief Justice, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Raja Fayyaz, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday heard the suo moto case of irregularities in Hajj arrangements.

During the course of proceedings, the FIA DG informed the court that he had written to the government to exclude him from the ongoing investigation into the Hajj corruption.

Chaudhry asked Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to talk to the government to dissociate the present FIA DG from the case, because in his presence, the team constituted would not work independently.

The CJ also ordered the AGP to communicate the government’s decision in this regard to the Supreme Court registrar within three days and directed FIA Investigation Officer Hussain Asghar to continue to probe the case. (ANI)