NAB argues against quashing Sharif family cases
Prosecutor contends that an accountability court is suited to adjudicate references.
RAWALPINDI:
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday argued against the Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling stopping the reopening of three corruption cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.
During a hearing of three identical petitions filed by the accused, requesting the court to quash the cases, the NAB prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammad Riaz argued that an accountability court was suited to adjudicate on corruption references and the high court should allow the trial court to proceed with the pending references.
Justice Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan of the LHC Rawalpindi bench were hearing the petitions filed by the Sharif family.
The accused, including members of the Sharif family, in their petitions have urged the court to quash the pending references, which they argue were filed on political grounds during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf.
NAB prosecutor, during the hearing, contended that a proper trial, which allowed the prosecution to provide the court with proofs and the accused to defend themselves against the allegations, was the appropriate method to deal with corruption references.
An application filed by NAB seeking resumption of the Ittifaq Foundries, Hudaybia Paper Mills and Raiwind assets corruption references has been pending with the court after the LHC stopped the accountability court and NAB from reopening cases last year.
In their petitions, the defendants held the NAB responsible for inordinate delay of almost 12 years in conducting a trial. They argued that since 2008, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif along with other family members had been in Pakistan, but cases had not been reopened.
Regarding the delay in initiation of the trial, NAB informed the court that the accused remained out of the country till 2007, due to which cases against them had been adjourned sine die. Since 2007 the pending cases could not be reopened due to the unavailability of a permanent chairman of NAB, which had now been resolved.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2012.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday argued against the Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling stopping the reopening of three corruption cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.
During a hearing of three identical petitions filed by the accused, requesting the court to quash the cases, the NAB prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammad Riaz argued that an accountability court was suited to adjudicate on corruption references and the high court should allow the trial court to proceed with the pending references.
Justice Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan of the LHC Rawalpindi bench were hearing the petitions filed by the Sharif family.
The accused, including members of the Sharif family, in their petitions have urged the court to quash the pending references, which they argue were filed on political grounds during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf.
NAB prosecutor, during the hearing, contended that a proper trial, which allowed the prosecution to provide the court with proofs and the accused to defend themselves against the allegations, was the appropriate method to deal with corruption references.
An application filed by NAB seeking resumption of the Ittifaq Foundries, Hudaybia Paper Mills and Raiwind assets corruption references has been pending with the court after the LHC stopped the accountability court and NAB from reopening cases last year.
In their petitions, the defendants held the NAB responsible for inordinate delay of almost 12 years in conducting a trial. They argued that since 2008, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif along with other family members had been in Pakistan, but cases had not been reopened.
Regarding the delay in initiation of the trial, NAB informed the court that the accused remained out of the country till 2007, due to which cases against them had been adjourned sine die. Since 2007 the pending cases could not be reopened due to the unavailability of a permanent chairman of NAB, which had now been resolved.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2012.