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| India-Pakistan |
| Court upholds conviction of Rehman Malik Afzal Khan |
| 2010-05-18 |
| ISLAMABAD - In a dramatic development the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by Interior Minister Rehman Malik against his conviction in two corruption references by an accountability court. The court verdict raised the prospect of arrest of the man regarded as most powerful figure in the country after President Asif Ali Zardari who has shown unabated confidence in him. His detractors say he has virtually acted as de facto prime minister and played as Zardari's main trouble-shooter in political and foreign affairs. He was also very close to slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and her business partners and accompanied her in her two meetings with former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf in January and July 2007 during which a deal was struck leading to pardoning of corruption cases against political leaders and bureaucrats under the now defunct National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). The accountability court had sentenced Rehman Malik to a three-year prison term in each of the two references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The jail sentences were handed down after the minister failed to appear before court while he was living in self-exile in London. The minister's conviction was set aside under the NRO. The cases against him were reopened after the annulment of the NRO by the Supreme Court in December last year. He was, however, freed on bail. Malik was not present in the court on Monday. He met President Zardari after the announcement of the judgment and reportedly discussed the implications of court ruling. Officials said President Zardari advised him to challenge his arrest through legal means. Malik's counsel on Monday said no notice was sent to the minister to appear before the court. Therefore, a verdict given in his absence would be illegal, the counsel further argued, requesting the Lahore High Court to halt the punishment orders against him. Malik had filed a plea with the Lahore High Court regarding the sentences, following which the LHC had suspended the rulings against him and had granted him bail. However, now the verdict against Malik in the two NAB references stands restored and legal experts say he may be arrested any time. |
| Posted by:Steve White |