NAB says will now act under new law

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced on Thursday that it would now proceed against corrupts under the recently-amended NAB law.

In a meeting of the executive board of the NAB chaired by its acting chairman Zahir Shah, it was decided that the top anti-graft body will now proceed as per the new NAB law, which has now become law after being passed by a joint sitting of the parliament last month.

A committee headed by director general NAB headquarters has been formed to review ongoing inquiries and investigations in light of the new amended Act 2022.

The committee also comprised director Operations Division, legal consultant of the Prosecution Division and relevant desk officers of the Operations Division of the NAB headquarters.

It will submit a preliminary report about continuing or closing or referring the cases to the relevant department as per law.

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The report will then be presented before the executive board – being the highest consultative forum of the NAB – for further review and approval of the recommendations where the law will take its own course of action.

The board also authorized filing a reference against Meraj A Syed, ex-chief hydrographer of Gwadar Port Authority and others on alleged accusations of misuse of authority and embezzlement of state funds amounting to around Rs794 million.

The board after due diligence decided for closing of various inquiries and investigations due to a lack of court-worthy and incriminating evidence.

It authorized closing inquiries against the administration of Benazir Income Support Programme, officials and others of Karakoram International University, Gilgit-Baltistan, Barrister Sheikh Abid Waheed, ex-managing director Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) and others, Maj (retd) Syed Khalid Amin Shah, chief security officer Peshawar Development Authority and others, Saleem Hassan Wattoo, ex-director general Peshawar Development Authority, Peshawar and others, Amin Vance, former CCPO Lahore and others, Zulfikar Ghuman, DG Sports Board Punjab, and others, Muhammad Ramzan Awan, former secretary local government department, Sindh, and others, Prof (retd) Dr Azam Hussain Yousfani, vice chancellor, People University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Shaheed Benazirabad and others, Akbar Durrani, former Secretary Home Department, Balochistan.

The board further decided to close inquiries against officers/officials of Peshawar Development Authority, Peshawar and others, officers/officials and contractors of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority, Shahid Hussain Asad, former additional secretary, Ministry of finance, economic affairs, statistics and revenue and others due to lack of incriminating evidence.

It also decided not to share the details of authorised inquiries and investigations in compliance with the NAB Amended Act 2022.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022