NAB has turned into ‘exploitative’ dept, remarks CJP

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked on Tuesday that the purpose for which the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was established was over as it had turned into an exploitative department.

The anti-corruption watchdog had become an obstacle to the role it had to play for the betterment of the country, as it was taking years for the cases that should be decided in one year, the CJP remarked while heading a three-member bench which heard a case regarding provision of clean drinking water to the residents of Sindh province. Two other judges of the bench were Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah.

Justice Ahmed observed the NAB’s investigation officers simply did not have the capacity to carry investigation to its logical end. He said the NAB should be fined billions of rupees and that penalty amount should be collected from its employees, as the government would not give a single rupee. He remarked the NAB did not have the ability to work.

During the course of the proceedings, the NAB submitted a report on alleged corruption in the installation of RO (Reverse Osmosis) plants. The court ordered the anti-corruption watchdog to complete references regarding cases and other matters in a month. The CJP said there was no need to form a commission over the matter. The Water Commission also submitted report and the court ordered the Advocate General Sindh to ensure implementation of the report. The court directed that quarterly report of each district of Sindh should be submitted regarding implementation of water commission recommendations.

The Supreme Court dissolved the Sindh Water Commission and Water Commission Secretariat and asked the Sindh Water Commission to hand over all the record to the Chief Secretary Sindh. The court also clubbed the Sindh Coal Authority Karachi case and clean water case. The court said steps should be taken for effective legislation on clean water supply. Justice Ahmed said hundreds of thousands rupees were plundered and not a single RO plant was installed. He expressed annoyance over the NAB’s performance, saying instead of four witnesses, the anti-graft body made 200 witnesses in the case.

Addressing the NAB prosecutor, the CJP said he remembered wheat case in which a man committed suicide. He said the NAB did not file charge-sheet against the real culprit and the honourable man committed suicide. Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan asked what was the ratio of conviction in NAB cases? The NAB prosecutor responded that the conviction rate was 70 per cent. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned for one week.