The Supreme Court of Pakistan has announced the verdict on a petition challenging the Justice Qazi Faez Isa reference in the Supreme Judicial Council today (Friday).
Justice Umer Atta Bandiyal has announced a brief judgment, in which, the court rejected the reference against Qazi Faez, detailed judgement will be issued later.
A 10-member full court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, made hearings of the presidential reference, filed against Justice Faez Isa for allegedly not disclosing his foreign properties in his wealth returns. Application against the reference filed by Justice Isa was also heard in the combine.
Read More: FBR submits tax records of Justice Qazi Faiz Qazi Faez Isa’s wife
Other members of the bench include Justice Maqbool Baqir, Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik, Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Qazi Amin Ahmed.
The court ordered the federal board of revenue to issue separate notices top the spouse of justice Esa, for each property. Notices will be issued on the government residential address of Justice Esa and FBR must take a decision in seven days. Chairman FBR will submit duly signed report to the chairman of the Supreme judicial council.
Yesterday, Justice Isa’s spouse made available the money trail pertaining to her foreign properties and the Federal Board of Revenue provided its input on the matter.
It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) had initiated the proceedings against Justice Isa on allegations that he purchased three properties in London in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015 — but did not allegedly disclose them in wealth returns declared in Pakistan.
Malik urged the court to dismiss the reference against the judge. He said that a website had been used to search for properties in London. The lawyer told the court that if one wanted to search properties in London, he/she had to pay for the privilege.
He said that the website sends a payment receipt to the relevant person who uses it to search for properties, via email. He said that British-Pakistani lawyer Zia ul Mustafa, who had searched for Justice Isa’s alleged assets, had received three copies of the high commission’s verified properties.
