LHC critical of NAB response to queries in case

LAHORE: A two-member bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday took NAB Lahore Director-General Shahzad Saleem to task for lack of preparation to answer queries regarding 20-year-old inquiries pending against PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

When asked as to why the inquiries were kept pending for 17 years without any progress, the DG said inquiries were recommended for closure by previous investigator Najam Abbas before his appointment to the post. He, however, added that in 2017 Chairman NAB ordered to reopen all pending inquiries. The court showed dissatisfaction over a report furnished by DG NAB.

“It seems that the NAB DG has not prepared the report himself,” the bench remarked. Mr Saleem, however, insisted that he was reading the report that he had himself prepared.

The court also admonished the investigation officer over guiding the NAB DG on details of the case in a hushed tone and warned that both of them will be expelled from the courtroom if he did it again.

The Bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Chaudhry Shehram Sarwar adjourned hearing till December 17 and directed the NAB DG to come up fully prepared.

On previous hearing the bench had also chided Mr. Saleem for failing to guide the court properly.

The PML-Q leaders, also allies of the PTI-led government, alleged in their petitions that the institution of the NAB was being used for political engineering and old cases against them were being repeatedly opened and closed. They said all the three investigations were recommended for closure by the investigating officers and regional board of the NAB during 2017 and 2018. “However, the sitting Chairman of the NAB approved reinvestigation and bifurcation of the inquiries against them after an investigation of 20 years since authorization of the investigation in 2000.” They asked the court to set aside the authorization of the inquiries and the order for their bifurcation passed by the NAB Chairman for being unlawful.