News Analysis |
In an interesting development, a son-in-law of former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Chaudhry has been arrested from Dubai in a case regarding the multi-billion Eden Housing Society scam. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry described the arrest as a “breakthrough” on Wednesday. Son-in-law of the former CJP was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency in UAE.
The warrants for his arrest were issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He claimed that former CJP Chaudhry had made the “shocking” decision by hearing a case regarding the housing scheme himself, and later gave “relief” to its owners because they were the in-laws of his daughter.
It is alleged that after the marriage, the names of the housing scheme’s owners had been removed from ECL and they later left the country.
Moreover, the minister said others accused of allegedly cheating people who had invested their money in the Eden Housing Society included Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son, Arsalan Iftikhar, his daughter and the father-in-law of his daughter. It is also important to mention here that in June, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had written a letter to NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal, asking him to launch an investigation against ex-CJP Chaudhry and his family for allegedly receiving benefits in the scam of the failed Eden Housing Society.
Read more: PTI demands arrests of Ex Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, for corruption
Several affected people of the Eden Housing scam held a demonstration at Liberty Chowk on September 19th and demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to help recover their hard-earned money looted by the group. Shahzad Ahmad, an affectee, told media that there had been more than 10,000 people who were deprived of their money.
He said all affected people were looking up to the PTI’s government and NAB to bring the culprits back and recover the looted amount from them. He said that all affectees would stage a sit-in outside NAB offices if no action was taken against the culprits. NAB has estimated that the seized property of the Eden Housing group is more than Rs15 billion, however, it has yet to start compensating the claimants.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry described the arrest as a “breakthrough” on Wednesday. Son-in-law of the former CJP was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency in UAE.
Moreover, former CJP is accused of facilitating the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). PTI’s leader Fawad Chaudhry has recently said that ex-CJP under an agreement with PML-N had formed a panel of justice Khalilur Rahman Ramday and Sher Dil to rig 2013 elections in favor of Nawaz.
Read more: Chief Justice’ Suo Moto exercise is different from Iftikhar Chaudhry’s impulsive…
Former CJP also had submitted a petition against Imran Khan and alleged that the PTI’s chief was not eligible to contest elections. The petition challenged Khan’s eligibility on the grounds that his nomination papers made no mention of a daughter he had from his “relations with Ana-Luisa (Sita) White, a wealthy lady who was the daughter of the late Lord Gordon White”.
Fawad has also pointed out that Chaudhry’s daughter got married to the son of Eden Housing Society’s owner at the time when her father as the chief justice of the country was hearing a case regarding alleged irregularities in the housing scheme. It is alleged that after the marriage, the names of the housing scheme’s owners had been removed from ECL and they later left the country.