ISLAMABAD: Amidst opposition, the caretaker federal government on Thursday laid the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance 2023, extending it for another 120 days or four months.

Caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam moved the ordinance in the Senate session, which was commenced only a day after the house’s requisitioned session to discuss the situation in Gaza was prorogued.

The ordinance amends Section 24(d) in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 to allow custody of the arrested suspects to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for up to 30 days, instead of 14 days.

SC stops accountability courts from issuing verdicts in NAB cases

It also inserts a new sub-section “aa” in the Section 24 of National Accountability Ordinance 1999 allowing the chairman NAB to issue a warrant of arrest during the course of inquiry if an accused is not joining inquiry despite notices or wilfully does not cooperate in such inquiry.

The ordinance substitutes the Section 36 of National Accountability Ordinance 1999 with the following provision, “Provided that if the accused has been acquitted by the court on the ground that the case was initiated with mala fide intention based on fabricated evidence, the person found guilty of such act by the said court shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.”

Speaking on the floor of the house, Barrister Ali Zafar from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, when the bill related to accountability earlier landed in the house, he opposed the clause that allowed the bill to come into effect retrospectively.

“This retrospective aspect was included in the bill only to benefit Nawaz Sharif. That is why I opposed it.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023