F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed two chartered accountants Syed Shabr Hassan Rizvi and Mahmood Mandviwala as amicus curiae in a case regarding bank accounts of Pakistanis abroad.
The three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the suo moto notice case pertaining to laundered money in bank accounts of foreign countries.
The chief justice observed that if the money was sent abroad without justification then it would be disastrous for the country.
He observed that the government could not get benefit from the amnesty scheme due to flaws in the laws.
During the course of proceedings, Additional Attorney General Rana Waqar informed the court that a three-member committee had prepared a report on formulation of guidelines.
The chief justice after reviewing the report asked the Secretary Finance that it was not a affective report rather it was an ambiguous one.
He remarked that the government should take steps to bring back the looted money from foreign countries within 15 days.
He observed that several people had looted the public money and sent it abroad that caused the destruction of the country’s national exchequer.
He also asked why the people, who were included in the Panama and Paradise scandals, were not being traced.
He also asked the Secretary Finance to inform the court about properties owned by Pakistanis in abroad.
The Finance secretary told the court that the government was pondering over change in the Finance Act to halt the people to send money abroad and the parliament would likely to take steps in that regard in a few days.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Tariq Mahmood Pasha that whether the FBR was going to offer two to five percent amnesty. The FBR chairman said that it was not correct.
The court remarked that the court would hear the case daily after next hearing on March 20 which was scheduled at the Karachi registry.
