‘No system yet to check corruption’

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Thursday again questioned the performance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and observed that it was unfortunate that ‘we have not yet evolved a system since 1947 for eradicating corruption in the country’.

A two-member bench of the apex court — comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed — heard an appeal filed against the acquittalof two employees of Utility Stores Corporation.

Justice Bandial said instead of looking into matter related to corruption, the NAB was bringing up court matters of fraud. Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin observed that the NAB’s entire record could not be found.

Special Prosecutor NAB told the court that amending Section 32 of the NAB Ordinance was the need of the hour. The counsel for the Utility Stores Corporation employees submitted that their clients had been acquitted by the lower courts for want of evidence.

Masood Alam and Zia Ullah were alleged for committing corruption; however, the trial court acquitted them for want of evidence. The prosecutor, however, said the accused wrongly benefited from the amended NAB Ordinance hence there was a dire need for amending Section 32 of the NAB Ordinance.

He recalled that in Asfandyar Wali Khan case, the apex court had asked the government to amend Section 32 of the NAB Ordinance. “The time has come now to amend the said section,” the special prosecutor said.

The employees’ counsel, however, pin-pointed some technical errors made by the NAB in its appeal and contended that it was verified that copies of the verdict were fake and the Sindh High Court registrar also stated that the NAB did not file any application for copies of the verdict. The court expressed grave concerns over the non-serious attitude of the anti-graft body. Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed observed that ‘we have not yet been able to develop a system for eradication of corruption in the country.’ The special prosecutor submitted that they had submitted whole record along with the application and pleaded that their application be numbered.

Justice Qazi Amin, however, observed that the NAB record could not be found in the country as either the record disappears or a fire breaks out gutting the record. Meanwhile, the court directed its office to number the NAB application and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.