Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit record of all cases that were closed following amendments in the NAB law.

A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ayesha A Malik and Justice Athar Minallah heard the NAB appeal seeking cancellation the bail of an accused in a corruption case.

During the course of proceedings, the NAB prosecutor general said that Quetta’s corruption case had gone out of NAB jurisdiction, therefore, the application had become ineffective. Upon this, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked that no individual had been acquitted due to NAB amendments, but cases were being transferred.

He said that NAB amendments had been challenged in the SC and that the court had yet to decide on the matter. He asked what was NAB doing with the cases that were coming back from accountability courts due to amendments. To this, NAB’s Prosecutor replied that a review committee had been constituted for the cases returned from the accountability courts, which was sending the cases to the relevant forum. Upon this, the chief justice ordered the NAB prosecutor general to submit the record of the last six months of the cases sent to other forums.

Last year, a report submitted by the anti-graft body to the SC revealed that the amendments made to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 2000 by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government have ended up benefitting over 90 per cent of cases, including high-profile ones, that NAB was dealing with – whether at the inquiry, investigation or trial stage. NAB had submitted the report to the apex court pertaining to the details of cases of public office-holders, including political leaders, which will be affected under the new amendments in the NAB law.