SHC directs law ministry to explain delay in notifying NAB inquiry rules

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the federal law ministry to explain the delay in notifying the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) rules of inquiry and investigation.

The NAB prosecutor had presented a report about framing and approval of rules for inquiry and investigation for the accountability watchdog before a two-judge bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Khalhoro.

The bench was apprised that the draft was sent to President Arif Alive. The lawyer also shared that the president had circulated the draft to the different ministries and divisions for their opinion.

The NAB prosecutor submitted that ministries of interior and law had expressed some initial reservations on the rules but their detailed opinions were still awaited.

However, petitioner Tariq Mansoor alleged that the anti-graft body misleading the court as it had given the same excuse in the last hearing.

“In the previous hearing the NAB prosecutor had also apprised the court that the draft of the rules had been sent to the presidency,” said the petitioner.

The petitioner maintained that rules had to be formulated under Clause 34 of the NAB Ordinance. He claimed that inquiries and investigations could not be carried out without rules, adding that NAB had been operating without such rules for the last 20 years.

The court while deferring the matter for September 29 directed the federal ministry of law to explain why the rules of inquiry and investigation had not been notified as of yet.