ISLAMABAD      -  The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to furnish record of the cases, which were closed after the amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial, passed the order, while hearing the NAB appeal against the grant of bail to an accused of a corruption case. The accused were involved in irregularities pointed out by audit of the accounts of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Balochistan. During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor informed the bench that following the amendment, the Quetta’s corruption case went out of the jurisdiction of the Bureau, and the application has been ineffective.

The Chief Justice observed that no one has been acquitted, but their cases have been transferred. He then said that the amendments in the NAB law have been challenged before the apex court, and the petition is pending before another SC bench. The Court has yet to decide the case. A three-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has been hearing former prime minister Imran Khan’s petition against the amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999 since July 2022. Justice Bandial inquired; “What is NAB doing with the cases that are coming back from accountability courts due to the amendments?” The NAB prosecutor informed that a review committee has been set up for the cases returned from the accountability courts, which is sending the cases to the relevant forum. Justice Bandial then ordered the NAB representative to give the record of the last six months of the cases sent to other forums.