SC bench recuses from hearing Bahria Town appeal in properties auction case 

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi, on Wednesday recused from hearing the case of the auction of properties in Bahria Town by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and sent the case back to the previous bench instead, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.    

The CJP remarked it would be better if the previous bench heard the appeal filed by Bahria Town against the sale of its properties following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision.

Counsel for the Bahria Town, on the occasion, told the bench that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had released a written verdict in the case, and that he would submit more documents in support of his arguments. 

The court permitted that and adjourned the case’s hearing for an indefinite time period.

The previous hearing was conducted by a three-member bench, headed by Justice Aminuddin. 

Six commercial properties, linked to real estate tycoon Malik Riaz/Bahria Town, were auctioned last Thursday as part of efforts to recover defaulted funds from a court-approved plea bargain.

The auction was held a day after the Islamabad High Court dismissed a petition by the firm against the planned auction of its properties by the NAB. 

The six properties up for auction included one in Islamabad and five in Rawalpindi.

According to a statement issued by the anti-corruption watchdog, the auction resulted in the successful sale of Rubaish Marquee for Rs500 million, with payment and property transfer processes currently underway.

Two other assets, Corporate Office-I and Corporate Office-II, received conditional offers at or above their respective reserve prices. 

Meanwhile, three properties remained unsold due to a lack of qualifying bids. NAB stated that a re-auction for these unsold assets will be announced soon.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori