FROM THE PAPER > Front Page NAB report on beneficiaries sent to SC

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted to the Supreme Court on Tuesday a report about the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), among them President Asif Zardari, and their cases and decisions taken by the bureau’s former acting chairman and prosecutor general.

Sources said the report, signed by NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Deedar Hussain Shah, was silent on the current status of NRO cases and action take by the bureau on them.

It said the bureau had been following all cases reopened after the scrapping of the NRO.

The court had ordered NAB to submit the report before Oct 13. Several important cases are scheduled to be heard on Wednesday.

The bureau failed to submit a list of beneficiaries as ordered by the apex court.

The chairman said in the report that the authorities concerned had been asked to take action, in accordance with a Supreme Court order, against former attorney general Malik Abdul Qayyum for his role in money laundering cases against President Zardari in Switzerland.

Regarding $60 million involved in the money laundering case which had been frozen by a Swiss bank, the chairman expressed ignorance about the amount, saying the bureau lacked resources required to trace where the money had gone.

The sources said the amount had been drawn from the bank after the promulgation of the NRO and wrapping up of the case followed by de-freezing of Mr Zardari’s bank accounts in Switzerland.

A list sought by the court of decisions taken by former acting chairman Javed Qazi (reverted to deputy chairman) and former prosecutor general Irfan Qadir was not provided on Tuesday.

The NAB chairman has received briefings on the NRO issue in the light of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s directives to the government to send a letter to the Swiss government for reopening of cases involving the president.

Mr Qadir has filed an appeal with the apex court claiming that he is still the NAB prosecutor general. The chief justice had declared his appointment ‘illegal’, but the government has so far not de-notified the orders of his appointment.

Sources in NAB said the report was ‘insignificant’ and appeared to be a mere formality.

The PML-N has alleged that the NAB chairman is a sympathiser of the Pakistan People’s Party.

The appointment has been challenged in the Lahore High Court and the Pakistan Muslim League-N has also decided to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

It is feared that the appointment of Justice Deedar has paved the way for another confrontation between the government, the judiciary and the opposition because the PML-N alleges it has been made without “meaningful consultation” with the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

However, the government claims that it has fulfilled the constitutional requirement by consulting the opposition leader.

All eyes are on the chief justice to interpret the word ‘consultation’ to remove ambiguity.

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTER



Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that the appointment of NAB chairman was an administrative matter and the president was not bound to consult politicians before taking the decision.

He said it was not a constitutional issue that required consultation with the opposition leader and coalition partners.