Supreme Court tells NAB not to harass businessmen

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday observed that the anti-graft body might apprehend businessmen for their crimes and proceed in accordance with the law but they should not be humiliated.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial heard the appeal filed by NAB against the verdict of Lahore High Court (LHC) removing the name of an accused from Exit Control List (ECL).

The court while disposing of a plea bargain matter of an accused Tanveer Ahmed allegedly involved in irregularities in government contracts, directed NAB to auction the properties of the accused in accordance with law and recover the required amount from him.

During the hearing, counsel for the NAB told the court that the accused Tanvir Ahmed had caused a loss of over Rs160 million to the national exchequer in milk and biscuits contracts.

The anti-graft body further told the court that although the accused entered into a plea bargain with the Bureau but did not pay the remaining amount after paying Rs12 crores, 41 lacs and fifty-five thousand.

NAB further told the court that the Bureau had placed the name of the accused on ECL, however, the LHC ordered removing his name from the ECL. To a court query, NAB submitted that they had confiscated the property of the accused and started the process of its auction.

At this the Chief Justice asked the NAB to auction the property of the accused in accordance with law and get the remaining amount from the accused. The Chief Justice however, directed NAB to proceed in accordance with the law against the businessmen for committing crimes but they should not be humiliated adding that businessmen would go abroad for business purpose, therefore, the anti-graft body should not harass them.