SC declares NAB chairman Fasih Bukhari's appointment null, void
President Zardari appointed Fasih Bukhari as NAB chairman on October 16, 2011.
President Zardari appointed Fasih Bukhari as NAB chairman on October 16, 2011. PHOTO: PID
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the appointment of Admiral (retd) Fasih Bukhari as chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) null and void, Express News reported on Tuesday.
The decision was announced in a short order issued by a five-member bench.
Former leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar had petitioned the apex court on October 22, 2011 seeking a declaration against the appointment as void ab initio (illegal from the beginning), saying it was not made by President Asif Ali Zardari in consultation with the leader of the house (prime minister), leader of the opposition or the chief justice.
President Zardari appointed Bukhari as NAB chairman on October 16, 2011.
The Supreme Court today ruled that Bukhari's selection was in violation of the constitution.
"The chairman is not happy with the Supreme Court's decision, but he has accepted it and is going home," a NAB official said, requesting anonymity.
"As per the law, NAB cannot take decisions on any pending cases unless the chairman signs off on them," said Ahmed Safdar, a bureau spokesperson.
"For all practical purposes then, we can't move forward on any cases until we have a new head, which will take some time."
The bureau is investigating several high-profile cases, including charges against former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on suspicion of receiving kickbacks in power projects and three accusations of graft against prime minister-elect Nawaz Sharif.
Bukhari was also charged earlier in a contempt of court case for writing a strongly worded letter to the president, in which he said that the apex court proceedings were putting undue pressure on NAB investigators by trying to influence investigations in different corruption cases.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the appointment of Admiral (retd) Fasih Bukhari as chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) null and void, Express News reported on Tuesday.
The decision was announced in a short order issued by a five-member bench.
Former leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar had petitioned the apex court on October 22, 2011 seeking a declaration against the appointment as void ab initio (illegal from the beginning), saying it was not made by President Asif Ali Zardari in consultation with the leader of the house (prime minister), leader of the opposition or the chief justice.
President Zardari appointed Bukhari as NAB chairman on October 16, 2011.
The Supreme Court today ruled that Bukhari's selection was in violation of the constitution.
"The chairman is not happy with the Supreme Court's decision, but he has accepted it and is going home," a NAB official said, requesting anonymity.
"As per the law, NAB cannot take decisions on any pending cases unless the chairman signs off on them," said Ahmed Safdar, a bureau spokesperson.
"For all practical purposes then, we can't move forward on any cases until we have a new head, which will take some time."
The bureau is investigating several high-profile cases, including charges against former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on suspicion of receiving kickbacks in power projects and three accusations of graft against prime minister-elect Nawaz Sharif.
Bukhari was also charged earlier in a contempt of court case for writing a strongly worded letter to the president, in which he said that the apex court proceedings were putting undue pressure on NAB investigators by trying to influence investigations in different corruption cases.