Khosa has two weeks to answer bribery charges

Islamabad: Pakistan's top court has given former Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa two weeks to answer in writing bribery allegations against him.

Khosa, removed from the post of principal law officer of the government recently and made adviser to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, appeared before a three-judge bench at the Supreme Court here Wednesday.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry is heading the bench, which is dealing with a petition in which a former general manager of the National Highway Authority has accused Khosa of taking a bribe when he was attorney general.

Maghfoor Shah has accused Khosa of having taken a bribe of Rs 3 million (Dh132,100) for distribution among judges to get a decision on a case in his favour when justice Abdul Hameed Dogar was chief justice of the Supreme Court. He had lost the case and was convicted on corruption charges.

During the proceedings, Khosa blamed Chaudhry for getting him removed as attorney general.

The chief justice told Khosa to put the question about his removal to the government and refrain from making allegations.

The bench made it clear that Shah would be awarded exemplary punishment and sent to jail if he failed to prove the corruption charges against the former attorney general.

The hearing is likely to be resumed early next month.