ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court bench that was to hear the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeal against the decision of the Lahore High Court quashing the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case against the Sharif family was dissolved on Monday after Justice Asif Saeed Khosa recused himself.
As the hearing began, Justice Khosa remarked that it could be the fault of the court office that the case was put up in front of him, as he had already spoken his mind on the subject in the Panama Papers case and it would thus not be appropriate for him to adjudicate the case.
He observed further that he had written 14 paras on the Hudaibiya case in the April 20 judgment of the Panama case, adding that he had observed that NAB should reopen the case.
Recalling his judgment, Justice Khosa observed that Dar was an accused in the case, after which he became an approver.
“However, once the previous verdict in the case [in the LHC] is going to be rendered void, Dar’s status as approver will also end,” the justice remarked further.
The bench, headed by Justice Khosa and comprising Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel, was constituted on Friday.
It has now been dissolved and a new bench will be constituted by the chief justice.
During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor requested that the case should be taken up next week after the formation of a new bench.-Agencies
