File Photo of Justice Qazi Faez Isa

Apex court accepts Justice Isa’s review petition against presidential reference judgment

News Desk :

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday accepted Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s review petition against the presidential reference verdict against him.

A 10-member bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, was hearing review petitions filed against the court’s June 19, 2020, judgment on the presidential reference in which the court had empowered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to conduct an inquiry into offshore assets of his spouse.

The top court accepted the review petitions by a majority of 6-4. Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Mazhar Alam accepted the petitions.

Meanwhile, Justice Bandial, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin, and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah dissented from the judgment.

The court declared legal actions taken by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and all other forums related to the assets of Justice Isa’s wife and children as “illegal”.

The FBR’s report could not be challenged in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) or any other legal forum, the majority judgment said.

Presidential reference

Justice Isa was the subject of a presidential reference that alleged he had acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015 but did not disclose them in his wealth returns. Justice Isa contested the allegation, saying he was not a beneficial owner of the flats — either directly or indirectly.

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Quetta Voice is an English Daily covering all unfolding political, economic and social issues relating to Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province in terms of area. QV's main focus is on stories related to education, promotion of quality education and publishing reports about out of school children in the province. QV has also a vigilant eye on health, climate change and other key sectors.