LHC admonishes NAB official

Reply in Chaudhry brothers' case found unsatisfactory

LAHORE:

A Lahore High Court bench has admonished NAB Director General Saleem Shehzad for not submitting satisfactory replies to queries related to petitions filed by PML-Q’s top leaders, challenging the authority of the chairman of the anti-corruption watchdog to reopen a 20-year-old case against them.

The bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan had observed that the DG should assist the court about under what law an inquiry could be kept pending for a long time. The NAB prosecutor had informed the court that inquiries initiated regarding misuse of authority and willful default against Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had been closed down, while one about about assets was in the final stages.

On Thursday, the bench came down hard on the DG after asking him when NAB had initiated inquiries against the Chaudhry brothers. The official said the inquiries had been initiated 20 years ago. In reply to a question, he said he had been appointed as DG in 2017. The bench asked when the official had come to know about the inquiries, but he tried to parry the question.

The bench’s member Justice Shehram Sarwar remarked, "You are being expected to assist the court but you are unaware about the date when you saw for the first time the case matter.”

The bench expressed displeasure over the unsatisfactory reply and fixed the next hearing on November 30 with directives to the official to come completely prepared for the case.

Talking to the media, the petitioners' counsel Amjad Pervez said the courts had already expressed dissatisfaction on NAB’s role and procedure of investigation.

The PML-Q leaders had filed petitions against the three inquires, alleging that NAB was involved in political engineering and raising questions over its investigative authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2020.