With the Supreme Court’s recent decision to reinstate the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments, about 170 of the 189 cases currently in Peshawar’s accountability courts will be redirected back to NAB.
Notably, this reinstatement affects high-profile references, including those against former Federal Minister Arbab Alamgir and his wife, MNA Asma Alamgir, along with former Provincial Minister Sher Azam Wazir. These cases will now return to NAB for further proceedings.
The decision also specifies that around ten cases will continue to be heard in the four existing NAB courts in the region. These include cases involving prominent figures such as former IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Malik Naveed and former Secretary of the Workers Welfare Board Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Malik Tariq Awan. Additionally, potential references are expected to be made to Hassan Rafiq’s view on the BRT scandal and various fraudulent investment schemes.
Read: Imran Khan Files for Acquittal After Supreme Court Upholds NAB Amendments
The cases being returned to NAB predominantly involve sums below 500 million rupees. With the Supreme Court’s mandate, NAB is tasked with rerouting these cases to appropriate jurisdictions, which could involve transferring some to other investigative bodies like the Anti-Corruption Establishment or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Read: Accountability Courts to Send Back References to NAB After SC Verdict
The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justices Aminuddin, Jamal Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, and Hassan Azhar Rizvi, unanimously approved intra-court appeals. These appeals were lodged by the federal government and other stakeholders, challenging the initial annulment of the NAB amendments. The reinstatement marks a critical development in Pakistan’s legal and political landscape, impacting the accountability processes for numerous officials within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
