Supreme Court dismisses four appeals against Sherpao's acquittal

The First Bench of Supreme Court on Monday observed that it was the duty of senior bureaucrats in a ministry to make sure that orders passed by a minister were according to the law and procedures laid down by the government. The comments were made while hearing the counsel for National Accountability Bureau in government appeals against acquittal of current Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao in four cases of involvement in allotment of residential plots to his "political favourites" while he was Chief Minister of NWFP.
All four appeals were, however, dismissed by the Supreme Court for want of sufficient evidence or lacking legal support. In two cases the prosecution had failed to produce applications for the allotment.
Sherpao was acquitted by High Court in one case and by 'Ehtesab Benches' in other three.
Two similar appeals against Sherpao are listed before the First Bench of the Chief Justice for Tuesday.
The First Bench is composed of Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar.