The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted former federal minister Anwar Saifullah in the case relating to alleged illegal recruitment in the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), after allowing his review petition and setting aside his conviction. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the allegations against the former minister.
The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar. During the hearing, the Deputy Prosecutor General argued that the prescribed procedure for government appointments requires the issuance of advertisements, whereas in OGDCL, appointment letters were issued to 145 individuals in grades 4 and 5 without following due process. He submitted that three individuals joined the organization in the presence of the former minister, while 24 employees assumed charge later.
Justice Hashim Khan Kakar observed that mala fide intent was evident as the then chairman of OGDCL had not been nominated in the case. The court further remarked that if the chairman had been under pressure, he should have resisted it. Justice Kakar added that there is a clear distinction between acting for one’s own benefit and acting for someone else.
During the proceedings, the Deputy Prosecutor General maintained that pressure had been exerted by the former minister on the OGDCL chairman. However, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar remarked that members of the public generally approach ministers for employment. The prosecutor reiterated that the prosecution’s stance was that specific individuals were favoured and the lawful procedure was not followed.
Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim inquired whether such practices had stopped after convictions in this case. In response, the Deputy Prosecutor General argued that even awarding the death penalty in murder cases does not eliminate crime, and that releasing such individuals would embolden others to believe that no consequences would follow.
It is worth noting that the trial court had sentenced former minister Anwar Saifullah to one year’s imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5 million.
Subsequently, the Lahore High Court acquitted him. An appeal against the high court’s decision was filed before the Supreme Court, where a three-member bench had earlier set aside the fine while maintaining the sentence of imprisonment.