Suspects in NLC scandal to be tried under military laws

ISPR reiterates NAB will not be allowed to interrogate generals.

ISLAMABAD: While criticism mounts against the army for not letting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) interrogate three retired generals accused of causing billions in losses to the national exchequer, its public relations wing has issued a rejoinder justifying its actions.

The financial scandal, which resulted in a loss of Rs1.84 billion to the national kitty, first erupted in the army-administered National Logistics Cell (NLC) in 2009. Five people, including three retired generals, were accused of illegally borrowing Rs4.3 billion from banks and investing the money in the stock market.

The Pakistan Army on Friday, however, cast aside notions of preferred treatment and said it would proceed against the accused former generals under the Pakistan Army Act.

“The chief of army staff (COAS) considered opting for either administrative action or a formal investigation and chose the latter course of action,” read the statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “Administrative action would entail the use of discretionary powers by the COAS, whereas opting for a formal investigation – though time consuming – is obviously much more transparent and gives a fair chance to both the prosecutor and the defendant.”

The statement maintained the accused officers have neither been reinstated nor rehired. “Calling them back for investigation neither constitutes re-commissioning nor entitles them to pay or any other privileges.”

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) directed NAB in July last year to interrogate all accused which also include two civilians. However, NAB recently told PAC it had decided to proceed against the civilians only as General Headquarters (GHQ) did not allow it to question the generals, who had been asked to report back on duty.

The ISPR, on the other hand, defended the move saying: “Armed forces [the] world over are governed by separate military laws. The perception that the same nature of offence is being dealt with using two different laws is incorrect.”

Divulging details of the charges, ISPR said the planning and development secretary had not accused any NLC individual of embezzlement or financial misappropriation, but of lack of transparency and failure to observe rules and regulations.

However, while the ISPR only refers to one inquiry launched in the case, PAC ordered more than two inquiries after the first was found to be unsatisfactory.

The army’s media wing said the case called for not one but four summaries of evidence, which have now been completed and are under consideration by the competent authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2012.