NAB amendment ordinance notified in official gazette

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice has notified the ordinance the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024 in the official gazette.

This Ordinance shall come into force at once and shall be deemed to have taken effect on and from the commencement of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (XVIII of 1999).

Acting President Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani promulgated the Ordinance on May 27 and subsequently notified in the official gazette on same day through the ordinance, Amendment of section 24, Ordinance XVIII of 1999. In the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (XVIII of 1999), hereinafter referred to as the said Ordinance, in section 24, in sub-section (d), for the word “fourteen” the word “forty” shall be substituted. Through this amendment, the period NAB remand has been increased to 40 days from 14 days.

While through second amendment in the Ordinance, Amendment of section 36, Ordinance XVIII of 1999, for the proviso, the following shall be substituted, namely:-”Provided that if the accused has been acquitted by the court on the ground that the case was initiated with mala-fide intention or based on false or 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 two years and shall also be liable to fine.”

Meanwhile, during informal talks with the media outside Supreme Court on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar said that NAB was facing problems in investigating white collar crimes. He said that by keeping in view this thing, the period of remand was extended.

Azam Nazir Tarar said that it was the authority of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to form election tribunals. It is the discretionary power of ECP whether to maintain present tribunals or transfer cases to new tribunals.

He said that Lahore High Court (LHC) sent names to ECP and directed to notify it. He said that constitutional institutions would run on their own when such directions were given to them. He said issuing such directions to ECP was not appropriate.