Collecting dues: Stay order on NAB till May 8

NAB has no jurisdiction to take action against the defaulters, says petitioners' counsel.

LAHORE: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday extended a stay order restraining the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from taking action against defaulters of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) dues till May 8. The bench again sought a reply from the NAB on a number of petitions challenging the NAB from taking action against electricity defaulters. Counsel for the petitioners, Noshab A Khan, submitted that Lesco had sought the NAB’s help in recovering past dues and the bureau subsequently issued notices to the petitioners. He said that the NAB had fixed April 19 for clearance of dues. He said that Lesco had also offered the NAB a percentage from the amount to be recovered. He submitted that the NAB had no jurisdiction to take action against the defaulters as a civil court was the appropriate forum for the recovery of such dues. He requested that the NAB be restrained from taking action against the petitioners.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2013.