Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of Director General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Balochistan, who was also a Member of Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which probed the Panama Papers case, Irfan Naeem Mangi, observing that the anti-graft body had become a ‘facilitator of corruption’.

A three-member bench comprising Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, observed this while hearing a petition filed by former Balochistan food minister Asfandyar Kakar seeking bail in a corruption case.

During the hearing, Justice Faez Isa noted that Irfan Naeem Mangi should be made a co-accused in the corruption case against Kakar, as NAB’s performance in Balochistan was poor.

Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed that Mangi, who was served show cause notice for removal from service in light of the Supreme Court verdict on illegal appointments in NAB, has now-a-days become a hero.

“Due to the SC verdict in Panama Papers case, we cannot get hold to Irfan Mangi,” he maintained.

“Why DG NAB Balochistan should not be made a co-accused in the case against Kakar?” Justice Khan questioned.

He added that improvement in the performance of NAB could only be made after filing of cases against its officials.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa noted that decisions in several important NAB cases are still pending in Balochistan, whereas the bureau has made the corruption cases just a ‘mockery’. He said a person who was caught red-handed even managed to get scot free. He noted that the bureau is required to conclude the trial in 30 days, whereas it has been unable to conclude it in 30 months.

He remarked that NAB authorities were misusing the law and matters could only be improved by opening cases against them. He said important cases in Balochistan have seen long delays.

“Till today, NAB has not completed any trial within the stipulated time period 30 days,” Justice Khan noted, adding that Rs 701 million have been stolen, but NAB is sleeping.

He maintained that those who draw salary from the taxpayers’ money are abusing the law, which was very unfortunate.

Meanwhile, the court accepted Kakar’s bail application against surety bonds of Rs I0 million.

During PPP rule in Balochistan, NAB had filed three references against Kakar and others after 256,000 wheat bags went missing from a warehouse in District Pishin. He was accused of inflicting financial losses of over Rs 2 billion to the national exchequer. He was in NAB custody, after the Balochistan High Court had rejected his bail. He then moved the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the same bench rejected extension in the bail and observed that the accused was on bail before arrest for more than two years.

Justice Khan observed that doing corruption is an art, adding that a person even cannot get promotion without doing corruption.

Counsel for NAB informed the court that Kakar and his co-accused illegally transferred wheat. The court was informed that as the accused had got bail before arrest, thus he had not yet appeared before the anti-graft body. Later, the accused was arrested from the court premises.

Published in Daily Times, September 7^th 2017.