NAB restrained from coercive measures

LAHORE : The Lahore High Court on Tuesday restrained the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from taking coercive measures against former chief executive officer of a sugar mill.

Petitioner Mian Aslam through counsel Ijaz Awan pleaded that the NAB had initiated an inquiry against the sugar mill on charges of defaulting on payments to sugarcane growers. The counsel contended that the matter of the default payments pertained to 2014-15, however, he had already resigned from the mill. He said the NAB had issued call-up notices to the petitioner, which amounted to harassment. Moreover, the counsel argued that the matter of non-payment to the sugarcane growers did not fall within the ambit of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999. He asked the court to set aside the call-up notices being issued to the petitioner by the NAB for being unlawful and without any lawful jurisdiction.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi sought reply from the NAB within a fortnight and also restrained it from taking coercive measures against the petitioner.