56 public sector companies: provide details to NAB of those on deputation: SC

LAHORE: Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on Tuesday said the performance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the case pertaining to the 56 public sector companies had been very disappointing.

The chief justice, who was heading a three-judge bench at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry where he heard the suo moto case, said he was not satisfied with the NAB performance. Expressing serious disappointment over the slow pace of inquiry by NAB, the chief justice asked the NAB’s counsel to convey the court’s concerns to the chairman.

Furthermore, the lack of cooperation was also addressed by him, as he ordered that a complete list of employees along with those who went on deputation should be provided to the accountability body.

The apex court was hearing a suo motu case regarding huge salary structure of the chief executive officers (CEOs) and officers of the public companies. Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were the other two members of the bench.

“NAB’s performance in the Saaf Pani case has been disappointing,” the chief justice said.

The apex court had asked NAB to provide a detailed inquiry report, which it failed to do so. Expressing anger over this, Justice Nisar said, “Apprise the NAB chairman of the court’s concerns.”

Justice Nisar also inquired about the assets owned by the CEOs and other company officials, to which the NAB prosecutor responded that an inquiry into the assets of six CEOs had been completed.”

“The Punjab government submitted the record of company officials on July 22 owing to which there was a delay in the inquiry,” the NAB prosecutor added. He further said a probe could not be conducted into the assets of all company officials due to a lack of cooperation from the Establishment Division.

Following this, the apex court directed the Punjab chief secretary and the establishment secretary to cooperate with NAB. Furthermore, Justice Nisar urged to collect the “stolen money” and use it to “build Diamer-Bhasha Dam”.

Earlier on April 7, the chief justice directed the Punjab Saaf Pani Company CEO and the provincial government to submit the complete record, including salaries, perks and privileges of the entire staff and vehicles provided to them to perform their duties.

The chief justice had expressed serious concern over the exorbitant salary and benefits packages of the company’s officials and the money being paid to foreign consultants for water projects.

The Punjab government had established Saaf Pani Company to conceive, plan, design, execute and manage projects for the provision of safe drinking water, in terms of both access and quality, to the communities living in un-served and underserved areas i.e. rural and peri-urban areas of the province.

During the course of hearing, Ahsan Bhoon appeared on behalf of several heads of the companies and objected to ‘humiliating’ language used by the NAB in its notices sent to his clients.

However, the chief justice did not buy the argument and observed that the notices would have been drafted in cyclostyle.

Chief Justice Nisar asked Bhoon whether the heads of the companies have returned their received salaries to the national exchequer. He asked the same question from Punjab Saaf Pani Company CEO Capt (retd) Muhammad Usman inviting him to the rostrum. He also warned Usman against using his connections to influence the court reminding him that nobody could approach the court.

Defending Usman, Bhoon said his client had an unblemished record of service and there was no allegation of corruption against him.

However, the chief justice observed that all the heads and officers of the companies drawing huge salaries would be made to pay back their salaries disproportionate to their basic salaries at their parent departments.

When asked about an inquiry into the assets of the companies’ heads, the NAB counsel said the inquiry was in progress and would soon be completed. He said the bureau had received complete record of companies working in the province while the record of the companies operating under the control of federal government was awaited.

The chief justice directed the secretary cabinet division to submit details of the officials transferred to centre from the Punjab province and sought salary structure of the companies’ heads from the chief secretary. Further hearing of the matter was adjourned till (Thursday).