NAB told to explain delay in corruption inquiry against Mukesh Chawla

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) special prosecutor to explain the almost two-year delay in the corruption inquiry against the former excise & taxation (E&T) minster and other excise officers.

Hearing petitions against NAB’s call-up notices to former E&T minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla and other excise officers, an SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha said the inquiry was initiated in 2021 but nothing had come on record despite a lapse of two years.

The court said that according to the NAB investigating officer, the inquiry was initiated against Chawla in 2021 but nothing had been done in the inquiry and it was left for two years.

The IO said the previous IO had initiated the inquiry in 2021 but did not make any progress when the petitioners had remained in Karachi throughout that time.

The bench said that no progress was made during the inquiry period of two years, which was inexplicable, adding that after the provincial assembly, in which the petitioner had been a minister, was dissolved, NAB out of the blue changed the IO who was vigorously pursuing the inquiry despite it being dormant for over two years.

The court said that this change of stance in the inquiry based on the circumstances did not appear to be above board, and directed the previous NAB IO Mirza Aleem Baig to appear and explain why he had failed to conclude the inquiry in two years.

The bench directed NAB’s special prosecutor and IO to appear with the relevant record. The court also extended Chawla’s protection order and restrained NAB from arresting him and other excise officers in the corruption case.

Chawla and other excise officers had approached the SHC against their possible arrest in the NAB inquiry pertaining to misuse of authority and corruption in the vehicle registration scam.

NAB had said they had started an inquiry against Chawla’s alleged frontman Hassan Ali Sharif, E&T deputy director Waheed Sheikh and others on allegations of corruption, misuse of authority and accumulation of wealth beyond known sources of income.