Islamabad: Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandyal has remarked that having assets in excess of income is considered a crime all over the world, NAB amendments will promote organized corruption in Pakistan.
While hearing the petition of chairman PTI Imran Khan against the NAB amendments in the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice said that the decisions are shared in the committees and the cabinet, will the entire cabinet and the committee be made accused? Who will make such decisions? If Parliament will do everything, the decision-making process will slow down.
The Chief Justice said that the case was made without seeing the facts of the LNG deal. LNG level contracts are at the government level. Many bureaucrats were acquitted in the reference but served jail terms. Sometimes the situation is not under the control of the bureaucracy.
Imran Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris told the court that the decisions of the Cabinet and Working Development Parties have also been removed from NAB jurisdiction. The recent NAB amendments are also against the International Anti-Corruption Convention. On which the Chief Justice remarked that assets in excess of income is considered a crime worldwide, NAB will review the amendments in the context of international standards and local law.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked during the hearing that can those who escaped from NAB come under any other law? On which Imran Khan’s lawyer said that there is no other law for abuse of power. After the NAB amendments, it has been made impossible to prove corruption of more than 50 crores.
Justice Ejaz-ul-Ahsan said that NAB amendments will promote organized corruption. The amendment allowed them to take financial benefits that do not fall under the NAB Act.
Lawyer Khawaja Haris told the court that after the amendment, action can be taken only after the financial benefit is proved. For abuse of power, the direct benefit of a public official must be proved. A case will not be made on the financial benefit of the public official’s frontman and children.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah inquired whether the amended NAB law would have been challenged if it had come in 1999 in its current state.
Imran Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris said that the law is challenged as soon as defects are revealed in its implementation. NAB amendments have been made to benefit certain individuals. The first target of the coming of the current government was to end its NAB cases. Should the billions of rupees spent on NAB investigation be allowed to go to waste? Do the judges of the accountability courts have doubts that they do not do justice?
Later, the court adjourned further hearing till next Tuesday.
