| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top judge was suspended after strong-arming a series of promotions for his son, according to charges filed by President Pervez Musharraf and published for the first time on Wednesday.
The March 9 suspension of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has triggered one of the biggest crises of Musharraf's rule, with thousands of demonstrators again protesting on Wednesday in Lahore and Islamabad.
As well as pushing his son into well-placed jobs, Chaudhry also assembled a fleet of cars and demanded the use of planes that he was not entitled to, the misconduct allegations said.
It is the first time the charges against Chaudhry have been detailed since the crisis over his suspension began, as state media had previously only said that he was charged with misconduct and abuse of office.
"The reference by the president published in the media was leaked by Chaudhry's lawyer. But it is true," a senior law ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Chaudhry's chief lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan denied the "baseless" accusations against the suspended chief justice and said he and his team had not leaked the document.
"Why would we leak the charge-sheet?" Ahsan told AFP.
"This charge-sheet is childish, in fact these are not charges. There is not a single charge on financial corruption against the chief justice."
The list of allegations says Chaudhry "committed misconduct by employing his position to gain undue advantage for Dr Arsalan Iftikhar," his son.
"He unlawfully used his position as a judge and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to influence, harass and intimidate all concerned and compelled them to act in an unlawful manner," it adds.
According to the allegations, Chaudhry's son was promoted rapidly through the health department of southwestern Baluchistan despite not having passed a basic college exam.
They claim he was transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency where he again landed a series of increasingly senior jobs.
Chaudhry then allegedly pushed officials for his son to be given a position with the police in Punjab province and arranged for him to waive some of the training.
The charges also claim Chaudhry has the use of seven official cars when he is only meant to have one; that he orders traffic to be stopped for his convoy; and that he demands use of aircraft assigned to senior government officials.
The misconduct allegations were handed in to Pakistan's Supreme Judicial Council.
The suspended chief justice had been due to appear on Wednesday before the body for the third closed-door hearing into the charges, but the hearing was postponed at the last minute until April 3.
"It is because of the baseless nature of allegations that the chief justice wants an open hearing into the presidential reference," said Munir Malik, another of Chaudhry's lawyers.
Musharraf's removal of Chaudhry has sparked a series of violent protests, with police firing tear gas at demonstrators in Islamabad on Friday and Lahore on Saturday.
Pakistan's legal establishment has led the opposition to the president's action. Eight judges and a deputy attorney general have quit over the row while lawyers have been staging near-daily strikes and rallies.
- AFP/so
|
