NA body likely to approve 'The National Accountability (second amendment) Bill 2019' today

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Law and Justice is likely to approve "The National Accountability (second amendment) Bill 2019" on Tuesday (today).

The NA Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which met here on Monday under the chairmanship of Riaz Fatyana, jointly deferred the ongoing deliberations on "The National Accountability (second amendment) Bill 2019" for one day, taking plea of shortage of time and decided to discuss and review the bill on Tuesday (today).

Besides the NAB ordinance, the committee also reviewed four constitutional amendment bills, including the one moved by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) MNA Abdul Qadir Patel seeking to limit the powers of the president to promulgate ordinances, Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), "The Enforcement of Women's Property Rights (amendment bill), 2019", and "The Muslim Family Laws (amendment) Bill 2019".

The committee passed the PSDP Bill for approval for the financial year 2020-2021 after scrutinizing the budgetary proposals of the Ministry of Law and Justice related to the PSDP as required under Rule 20(16) of the rules of procedure and conduct of business.

The committee also passed "The Enforcement of Women's Property Rights (amendment bill) 2019" for approval by the assembly.

However, the committee deferred the bills, "The Muslim Family Laws (amendment) bills, 2019", regarding sections 4 and 7 at the ministry's request till the next meeting, which is scheduled on Tuesday (today).

The panel is to consider curtailing certain key powers of the NAB, however in the past clear differences between the government and the opposition have emerged on the issue.

An amendment made through the ordinance in Section 9(a)(vi) of the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999, says: "Nothing shall be construed as misuse of authority by a holder of public office unless there is corroborative evidence of accumulation of any monetary benefit or asset, which is disproportionate to his known sources of income or which cannot be reasonably accounted for."

A new clause in the same section reads: "An act done in good faith and in discharge of duties and performance of official function shall not, unless there is corroborative evidence of accumulation of any monetary benefit or asset, which is disproportionate to the known sources of income or which cannot be reasonably accounted for, constitute an offence under this clause."

Another amendment reads: "Notwithstanding anything contained in this ordinance or any other law for the time being in force, the valuation of immovable properties, for the purposes of assessing as to whether a holder of public office has assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, shall be reckoned either according to the applicable rate prescribed by the district collector or the Federal Board of Revenue, whichever is higher. No evidence contrary to the latter shall be admissible."

Following serious reservations from the business community and the top bureaucracy, the government introduced some significant changes in the NAB ordinance.

However, according to legal experts, if the amendments are passed the changes will also prove beneficial for politicians and other accused people arrested under the present NAB law, as it has redefined the terms "misuse of authority" and "acts done in good faith".

In addition to the members of the committee including the bill movers, the meeting was also attended by secretary Ministry of Law and Justice and other senior officials.