Khan's legal team withdraws objection on judge's appointment in AlQadir Trust case

Source: The Nation

ISLAMABAD - Legal team of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi withdrew objection on appointment of Accountability Court-II Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich as AC-I judge yesterday after Islamabad High Court issued notification of his appointment yesterday at the hearing of Al-Qadir Trust / NCA case trial at Central Prison, Adiala, Rawalpindi.

Accountbility Court - II Judge M Ali Warraich was given additional charge of Accountability Court - I last Thursday through a notification issued by Secretary Law and Justice after Accountability Court - I Judge Nasir Javed Rana relinquished charge on last Thursday after completion of his deputation in Islamabad. Judge Rana had to report back to his parent department (Punjab Judiciary) on Thursday. After assuming charge on Friday, Judge Warraich went to Adiala Jail for the trial but Barrister Salman Safdar and Advocate Zaheer Abbas, lawyers of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi raised objection on his appointment as additional judge of AC-I.

They argued that according to National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, Section 5 a, only Chief Justice Islamabad High Court could entrust and empower a judge to assume charge of accountability courts and there was no provision of law through which secretary law and justice could notify a judge. Zaheer Abbas argued that Section 16 of NAO - 1999 deals with management of cases and if there was more than one accountability court at one Bureau of NAB then high court concerned could appoint administrative judge.

He further argued that after framing of charges only IHC could assign case to another judge. According to sources, NAB's prosecution couldn't provide a satisfactory answer on the defence teams objection in Friday's hearing. Judge Warraich who was presiding over the hearing heard arguments of both sides and reserved his judgement for next hearing at Adiala Jail trial for yesterday but prosecution presented notification by Islamabad High Court after which objections were withdrawn by the defence counsels.