Ex-chairman SECP likely to be indicted in record tampering case today

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ISLAMABAD Oct 4 (TNS): An Accountability Court is likely to indict former Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) chairman Zafar Hijazi in Chaudhry Sugar Mills record tampering case today (Wednesday).

Special Judge Irum Niazi is to resume hearing Chaudhry Sugar Mills record tampering case today.

The accused had been provided with the charge-sheet during the last hearing in the case on September 26.

Hijazi, , who is out on bail, has been booked in the case in the wake of the Supreme Court’s order in the Panama Papers case for allegedly tampering with financial records of the Sharif’s company.

The Federal Investigation Agency took Hijazi into custody in July, after a report released by the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) alleged that the former SECP chairman had altered records related to the mills.

It found chairman SECP Zafar Hijazi guilty of record tampering and recommended criminal proceedings against him and two of his subordinates – Ali Azeem and Maheen Fatima – under Section  466, 472, PPC read with 5(2) Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) 1947.

SECP Director Maheen Fatima had accused the SECP chairman of exerting intense pressure on her to blame the Panamagate JIT of misbehaving with her during an interrogation session.

In her statement to the probing team, she asserted that the money laundering investigation against Chaudhry Sugar Mills was closed on the chairman’s directives.

The director has further accused the chairman of threatening her with dire consequences including transfer to Gilgit-Baltistan in defiance of his orders.

The Panamagate JIT had previously complained to the top court that SECP was allegedly involved in record tampering, apparently to favour the Sharif family who owns Chaudhry Sugar Mills.