The Supreme Court on Monday reserved judgement on an application alleging former Attorney General (AG) Sardar Latif Khosa of taking bribe in the name of judges to get the "verdict of choice." A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justices Mian Shakirullah Jan, Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Rehmat Hussain Jaffery reserved the judgement after completion of the preliminary arguments.
The court was deliberating the issue of concurrent jurisdiction of the apex court and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC); the mother body of legal fraternity to deal with such matters. Attorney General of Pakistan, Anwer Mansoor Khan contended that it would be appropriate to send the matter to PBC for decision. Addressing the concurrent jurisdiction, he said in a situation like this the matter should be referred to lower forum.
"I am not saying that the SC has no jurisdiction to hear this matter," he added. Advocate Ali Zafar, counsel for the former AG, gave reference of PBC resolution 41 and said that PBC is the forum for such matters. The apex court is an appellate forum and can entertain an appeal against the decision of PBC, he added.
The bench observed that an application alleging corruption charges was moved before the court and it would decide the matter after hearing arguments of the other side as well. Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan observed that the bench was hearing the matter because it did not want people saying the court simply favoured the bar.
Earlier, in October 2009, Latif Khan Khosa was sacked as the Attorney General (AG) after a complaint of corruption against him. However, Khosa was appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister. Dr Mazhar Jamal, wife of the Hamid Maghfoor Shah (complainant), had accused Khosa of taking a bribe of Rs 3 million from Maghfoor for getting the decision on a case in his favour when Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar was chief justice of the Supreme Court. However, he lost the case and Maghfoor was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and fined over Rs 3 million and $200,000 on corruption charges.
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