LHC summons NAB DG on PML-Q leaders’ petitions

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday summoned National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore Director General (DG) Shahzad Saleem on November 26 on petitions filed by Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi challenging the NAB chairman’s authority to reopen a 20-year old case against them.

The anti-graft buster had initiated three inquiries against the Chaudhry brothers on charges of misuse of authority, willful default, and owning assets beyond means.

The bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan observed that NAB DG would assist the court to determine how an inquiry could be kept pending in accordance with the law.

Moreover, the anti-graft watchdog’s official will also inform the court why the investigations were pending for such a long period.

During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor informed the court that the inquiry initiated to the extent of misuse of authority against the Chaudhry brothers had been closed down while another inquiry on assets beyond means was in its final phase.

In previous proceedings, NAB had claimed that the proceedings to the extent of willful default had also been closed.

Both the leaders in different petitions against three inquires had alleged that NAB was an institution involved in political engineering and raised questions over its authority of investigation.

They stated that the courts had earlier ruled on the NAB’s role and its “erroneous methods” of investigation.

Chaudhry brothers submitted that the anti-corruption watchdog had launched investigations against them on charges of misuse of authority, willful default and assets beyond means in 2000 and failed to find an iota of evidence against them during the past 20 years.

They maintained that the NAB chief had no authority of reopening a 20-year old case that had already been closed.

They contended that the order for authorisation of investigation in the year 2000 was passed in a slipshod manner on two so-called complaints of which one was anonymous, while the other was without address of the complainant.

The PML-Q leaders further stated that both the complaints proceeded upon general, vague and bald allegations and that too not supported by any evidence worth its name on record.

The petitioners stressed that they had regularly been declaring their assets in due course before the authorities concerned and holding the properties in their own names belied the existence of any criminal intent.

The Chaudhry brothers noted that they held important posts in the past including that of the premier and Punjab chief minister.

They observed their entire careers had been investigated into a great length over a period of last two decades yet no evidence worth name could be collected to suggest any personal gain by them at the expense of the public exchequer or abuse of public office.

“In these circumstances, the respondent bureau did not have any justification or lawful authority to proceed in the matter,” the petition said.

“That the so-called allegation of money laundering is also farce and frivolous and the same has been levelled with malicious intention of character assassination of the petitioners as the officials of the respondent bureau have miserably failed to collect any evidence worth name to show that any transaction relating to the petitioners has had any nexus with any crime,” it added.

Both the leaders observed they were being politically victimised and requested the LHC to declare the NAB’s move to reopen the 20-year-old case illegal.