ISLAMABAD - Chairman National Accountability Burau (NAB) Juatice (R) Javed Iqbal chaired a meeting at the NAB headquarters Thursday to review the performance of Prosecution Division of NAB.

During the meeting, it was informed that the Prosecution Division of NAB is working closely with the Operations Division of the NAB Headquarters in order to have legal assistance to this Division and all Regional Bureaus of NAB in the conduct of complaint verifications, inquires, investigations and are pleading cases of NAB vigorously on the basis of solid evidences in courts as per law.

During the meeting, it was informed that on the directions of the Chairman NAB, the Prosecution Division has been revamped by inducting experienced legal consultants/special prosecutors. A mechanism of handling of witnesses has been introduced and the result of this intervention is very encouraging.

Due to the constant deliberations, monitoring and performance analysis of Prosecution Division, the overall conviction ratio is approximately 68.8 percent in the Accountability Courts which is record achievement.

During the meeting, it was informed that the Accountability Court Sukkur has announced judgment in Reference No. 08/2019 whereby the accused persons namely Tufail Ahmed and Waqar Ahmed were sentenced for 10 years R.I. and eight years respectively. It was further informed that the Accountability Court Quetta has announced judgment in Reference No. 12/2015 whereby the accused persons namely Babar Tehseen, Khalid Akram and Javed Akram were sentenced for 10-year R.I. along with a fine of Rs 51.745 million each.

It was informed that the Accountability Court Karachi has announced judgment in Reference 01/2018 whereby accuses Wajid Ali was sentenced for 6-year R.I. along with a fine of Rs. 30 million after he was found guilty of the charge on the basis of solid proof against him.

The Accountability Court Lahore has announced judgment in Reference No. 50/2014, 51/2014, 52/2014, 53/2014, 54/2014 whereby the principal accused Nazeer Ahmed Khan was sentenced for 5-year R.I. along with fines of total liabilities in each case.

It was further informed that the Accountability Court Karachi has announced judgment in Reference No. 16/2017 whereby the accused persons namely Shahid Raza Shah, Wahid Bux, Zaman Jokhio, Lal Muhammad, M. Afzal Hussain, M. Salik Nukhrich and Abdul Aziz were sentenced for 10-year R.I. along with fine of Rs. 5 million each.

During the meeting, the Chairman NAB said that eradication of corruption is the top priority of NAB.

The Bureau is committed for the eradication of corruption by adopting “Accountability for All” policy.

He directed all officers/officials of NAB to put in their best efforts in vigorously pursuance of under-trial cases of NAB with complete preparation on the basis of solid evidence in accordance with law.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has written a letter to Ministry of Interior to place the names of Mir Shakeel-Ur-Rehman, Hamayun Faiz Rasooul, Director General Lahore Development Authority (LDA), and Mian Bashir Ahmad, former Director Land Development Authority on the Exit Control List (ECL) in an alleged illegal plot allotment case. The decision was taken on the recommendations of NAB’s Lahore bureau.

According to the documents available with The Nation, the NAB headquarters had written a letter to the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday last with the subject, “placement of name on ECL - investigation against Mir Shakeel ur Rehman, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Hamayun Rasul, Mian Bashir Ahmad and others.”

The documents further disclosed that the Bureau further said that the accused persons Mir Shakeel-Ur-Rehman, Hamayun Rasul and Mian Bashir Ahmed are involved in corruption and corrupt practices and misuse of authority in Lahore Development Authority for illegal exemption of 54 plots of one kanal each. Amount involved in the case is Rs 143 million.

On March 12, 2020, the NAB had arrested Editor-in-Chief of Jang Group of Newspapers and owner of Geo News, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in this scam. The Supreme Court had granted him bail after eight-month detention on November 9, 2020.

After the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Jang Group had issued a press release and said, “The property was bought from a private party 34 years ago and all evidence of this was given to NAB including the legal requirements fulfilled like duty and taxes. In the past 18 months, NAB has sent our reporters, producers and editors, directly and indirectly, over a dozen threatening notices, threatening for a shutdown of our channels (via PEMRA) due to our reporting and our programs about NAB.

In the last week of June, 2020, NAB filed a reference in an accountability court against Mir Shakil-Ur-Rehman,  former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,  former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Humayun Faiz, former Director Land Development Mian Bashir Ahmed had been named as the accused in the Rs 143 million reference. The NAB had alleged that Mir Shakil obtained illegal exemption of 54 plots of one-kanal each in Johar  Town Lahore, with the connivance of Nawaz Sharif, the then Chief Minister of Punjab, in violation of the exemption policy in 1986.