NAB gears up for references against Sharifs

Former first family files reply to bureau’s call-up notices

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided not to send more notices to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his children. Instead, it will begin preparing references against them in light of the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict.

A senior NAB official told The Express Tribune, “The bureau is obligated to issue notices to Nawaz Sharif and his children under the law.”



“The investigation team has fulfilled that requirement and NAB can now file a reference,” he added. The official stated that the Sharifs gave up an opportunity to present a defence.

NAB has to file references against Nawaz Sharif and his children within six weeks of the verdict.

However, a member of the legal team believes, “The Sharif family has no remedy except to wait for the hearing of their review petition against the July 28 verdict,” adding “[It is to be seen] how the high court can hear the respondents’ grievances in the existence of the Supreme Court’s verdict.”



He informed that the review will be fixed for hearing after the availability of judges is known.

The Sharif family has already expressed concern over the appointment of a Supreme Court judge to supervise the NAB proceedings against them.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family continued to skip NAB proceedings. However, NAB, in its third call-up notice, heard from the Sharif family’s lawyer, who has filed a two-page reply to the notices.



In response to the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) notices, Amjad Pervez, counsel for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his children, submitted a reply to the NAB Investigation Team in Lahore.

The counsel states, “His clients’ grievance is that they have been deprived not only of their statutory rights but also of their fundamental right to due process, treatment in accordance with law, right to dignity and life, right to fair trial and equal protection.”

“As per provisions of the NAO 1999, SOPs and practice of NAB, a case is to pass through various stages such as verification of the complaint, authorisation of inquiry and up-gradation of inquiry into the investigation after due appraisal of material and evidence in accordance with law in the hierarchy of NAB,” says the reply.



It is further submitted that as per mandatory provisions of the NAO 1999, the authority to decide whether it is proper and just to proceed further and there is sufficient material to justify of a reference rests in the NAB chairman or an officer authorised by them.

“The review petition on behalf of Nawaz Sharif has been filed to seek the recall of the July 28 order, whereas the review petition on behalf of my clients is also in process,” says the reply.

The reply states that in some circumstances of the case, where the decision to file a reference has already been taken and the proceedings being carried out by NAB are mere eyewash. “Hence, his clients are unable to attend these proceedings,” it adds.



Likewise, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar through the same counsel has also requested NAB to wait for the decision of the review petition in the interest of justice.

Meanwhile, former information minister Pervaiz Rashid said the proceedings being carried out by NAB were illegal and discriminatory.

“When has NAB undertaken such a course of investigation before?” he asked. “Why was the procedure to file a NAB reference bypassed?”

Rashid said, “Becoming part of the NAB proceedings hampers our review petition and ratifies the course of procedure followed by NAB.”