ISLAMABAD, March 8: The Supreme Court has described the Rs22 billion losses suffered by Pakistan Steel Mills as the “largest dacoity” in the country and vowed to punish the guilty.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Mohammad Sair Ali and Justice Tariq Parvez has taken up suo motu notice of sacking of former PSM chairman Moeen Aftab Sheikh without issuance of a show-cause notice. It expressed dissatisfaction over an inquiry report submitted by the Federal Investigation Agency and ordered arrest of the people involved in the scam.

The bench, however, exempted Interior Minister Rehman Malik from personal appearance after he submitted a one-page amended apology over a contempt notice charging him with meddling in judicial affairs.

Mr Malik, who appeared before the bench on Monday, expressed regret over what he called a “misunderstanding” created by formation of a joint team to investigate the scam, and placed himself at the mercy of the court.

“First confess (interference in judicial affairs) and then leave yourself at the mercy of the court,” Justice Sair Ali advised the minister. Mr Malik had formed the investigation team comprising senior officials of the FIA and ministries of interior and industries, minus FIA Director General Tariq Khosa, following dissatisfaction expressed by the apex court over the report of an inquiry committee.

The court had issued the contempt notice to the minister on an application of Advocate Dr Aslam Khaki who alleged that Mr Khosa had been transferred to thwart a transparent inquiry into the PSM corruption.

Dr Khaki contended that authorities deliberately hindered administration of justice which amounted to commission of contempt. He said Mr Khosa was a man of integrity and was investigating a number of important cases, including that of the Bank of Punjab, without succumbing to pressures.

The court also was of the opinion that Mr Khosa had been deliberately removed because he was working efficiently and providing results in different corruption cases pending before the court.

The Supreme Court had taken the suo motu notice on an article of Dr Ayesha Siddiqa published in Dawn on Sept 11 last year. Dr Siddiqa mentioned five concerns that benefited from the new sale policy of the mills -- Metropolitan, Amreli, Abbas Engineering, Al-Abbas Steel and Abbas Steel.

Moeen Aftab was chairman of the PSM from May 26, 2008, to August 18 last year.

On Monday, the interior minister clarified that he had stated in parliament that besides those already exposed during investigations, a large number of other people were behind the scam. He said it was his duty as the interior minister to constitute an investigation team after reading in newspapers that the apex court was not happy with the pace of investigation into the scam.

The court ordered cancellation of bail of people facing allegations of involvement in the PSM corruption and said that arrest of Moeen Aftab was not enough. “It is not possible that only the chairman (of PSM) is involved. There must be some bigwigs who are also behind the affair,” the bench said.

The bench also asked the interior minister to look into the reported appointment of convicted officer Ahmad Riaz Sheikh as head of FIA’s economic crime wing.

Mr Malik assured the bench that he would report back after going through details.
If you want to follow news on your mobile, click on http://dawn.com/mobile/ and download Pakistan's first mobile news application. Currently this application is for Nokia phones only