IHC agrees to hear ex-SECP chief’s petition in record-tampering case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) agreed on Thursday to hear former Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) chairman Zafar Hijazi’s petition against a special court’s dismissal of his acquittal plea in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills record-tampering case.

Hijazi, in his petition filed earlier this month, had stated that the special court disregarded the evidence presented in the appeal and had prayed the IHC to declare the former’s decision null and void.

The court will hear the former chairman’s petition on December 20.

Hijazi was indicted last month at a court, where the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) maintained that the accused was involved in record tampering to favour the Sharif family.

The former SECP chairman had challenged the charge, which was dismissed by the court.

A case was registered against Hijazi on the orders of the Supreme Court during the hearing of the Panama Papers case earlier this year.

He is accused of pressuring his subordinates to change the dates on documents related to the sugar mills, reportedly owned by the Sharif family. 

Special Court Central Judge Irum Niazi rejected Hijazi's application on the reasoning that solid pieces of evidence were available to initiate the trial.

Hijazi was arrested in the premises of the court by FIA on July 21 after the expiry of his bail before arrest.

The FIA team had submitted a 28-page inquiry report to the Supreme Court on July 9, in which it had endorsed the stance of the joint investigation team probing the offshore assets of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family in connection with the Panama Papers case.