First fraud case suspect gets relief under NAB Amend Ord

ISLAMABAD: A fraud case suspect was granted relief for the first time under the amended National Accountability (NAB) Ordinance 2021. An accountability court in Islamabad forwarded the case against the suspect, Abdullah, to a sessions court on Wednesday.

The court observed that the case does not come under an accountability court's jurisdiction anymore after the promulgation of the new NAB Ordinance.

"Such cases will now be dealt with by other courts," the accountability court judge remarked.

Earlier on Tuesday, several people approached accountability courts in Islamabad seeking termination of fraud and other NAB cases.

The suspects were of the view that as NAB's jurisdiction has ended, all cases against them should be disposed of. Last week, President Arif Alvi promulgated the NAB (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, under which the NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal will continue to serve the post until a new chairman is appointed and will also be eligible to be renamed as chairman.

Under the new ordinance, the president has the authority to establish as many accountability courts in the country as he deems fit.

Judges to the accountability courts will be appointed for a three-year term, the ordinance states.

The NAB law will not extend to matters pertaining to federal, provincial and local taxation after such matters were removed from under its purview.

Furthermore, decisions pertaining to the Council of Common Interests, (CCI), National Economic Council (NEC), National Finance Commission (NFC) and Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), besides those of Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) will also no longer fall within NAB’s jurisdiction.