The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday constituted a committee which would decide about the fate of ongoing inquires and investigations in light of the new amended law.
The decision to this effect was taken in the Executive Board Meeting of National Accountability Bureau (NAB-EBM) which was presided over by its acting Chairman Zahir Shah, said a news release. The body, headed by the director general headquarters, would see whether an ongoing inquiry or investigation was required to continue or close under the NAB Act, 2022.
The director operation division, legal consultants of prosecution division, and relevant desk officers of the operation division of NAB headquarters were also made part of the committee.
The body would submit a preliminary report on the ongoing inquiries and investigations to the relevant departments as well as to the NAB-EBM for further consultation and consideration – where the law would take its own course.
Meanwhile, the NAB-EMB also decided not to share the details of inquiries and investigations authorized in its meeting in compliance with the NAB amended act. It authorized filing a reference against Meraj A Syed, former chief hydrographer, Gwadar Port Authority and others in alleged abuse of power and misappropriation of state funds which caused financial loss of Rs 794 million to the national exchequer.
The EBM authorized closing of various inquiries and investigations due to absence of evidence, including inquiries against the administration of Benazir Income Support Programme, officers/officials and others of Karakoram International University, Gilgit-Baltistan, Barrister Sheikh Abid Waheed, former managing director of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) and others, Major (retd) Syed Khalid Amin Shah, chief security officer of Peshawar Development Authority and others, Saleem Hassan Wattoo, former director general of Peshawar Development Authority and others, Ameen Vance, former capital city police office Lahore and others, Zulfikar Ghuman, Director General of Sports Board Punjab and others, Muhammad Ramzan Awan, former secretary Local Government Department, Sindh, and others, Professor (retd) Dr Azam Hussain Yousfani, Vice Chancellor of People University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Shaheed Benazirabad and others, and Akbar Durrani, former Balochistan home secretary owing to absence of evidence.
The EBM authorised closing inquiries against officers/officials of Peshawar Development Authority, Peshawar and others, officers/officials and contractors of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority, Shahid Hussain Asad, former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Revenue and others due to absence of evidence.
The meeting was also attended by Syed Asghar Haider, Prosecutor General Accountability, Farmanullah Khan, Director General, NAB, Rawalpindi and other senior officers of the bureau.
