ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has declared the conviction of former federal minister Anwar Saifullah Khan null and void. The court has revoked the 2016 decision and restored the acquittal of the Lahore High Court.
In a written judgment issued by Justice Salahuddin Panhor, the Lahore High Court’s acquittal decision of June 13, 2002, was restored while accepting the review petition of Anwar Saifullah Khan.
The Supreme Court has ruled that no person can be given a more severe punishment under a law made later for any act of the past.
According to the court, the application of the 1999 NAB Ordinance to the 1996 charges against Anwar Saifullah Khan was constitutionally invalid, while Article 12 of the Constitution imposes a complete ban on retroactive punishment.
The judgment said that the prosecution could not present any evidence of bribery, personal gain, or damage to the national exchequer, while mere administrative irregularity is not enough to prove criminal malice.
The Supreme Court ruled that the presumption of innocence becomes stronger after an acquittal by the High Court, and interference in such a decision can be made only in exceptional circumstances.
