SC dismisses IHC decision to restore employee convicted by accountability court
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ISLAMABAD-The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the IHC decision to restore a government employee who was convicted by an accountability court.
A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel heard the petition of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) order reinstating Tahir Atiq Siddiqui, who was convicted by the accountability court, in the service.
At the outset of hearing, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan observed that the government employees convicted in NAB cases could not be reinstated even if their sentence was suspended. The suspension of sentence did not mean that crime committed by a convict could not be ignored. The accused could not be restored in the service until he was acquitted in the appeal, he added.
Deputy Attorney General Sohail Mahmood informed the court that accused Tahir Atiq Siddiqui, who was a deputy general manager in Telephone Industries, was sentenced for five-year imprisonment along with fine of Rs 5 million by the accountability court for illegally awarding a contract. After his conviction, he was fired by the department.
He said the accused applied for reinstatement when his sentence was suspended in the appeal, and the IHC accepted his request. According to the law, a convict would be disqualified from holding a public office for 10 years after completion of his sentence, he added.
