In a first, FIA to probe NAB officials for alleged criminal negligence in Broadsheet case

In a first, FIA to probe NAB officials for alleged criminal negligence in Broadsheet case

In a first, FIA to probe NAB officials for alleged criminal negligence in Broadsheet case

Logo of the National Accountability Bureau. Photo: File

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LAHORE: In a first, former chairmen and other officials of the powerful National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will be investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for their alleged criminal negligence in the Broadsheet case.

The law ministry has given the go-ahead to FIA to proceed against NAB officials after the anti-corruption watchdog ‘snubbed’ the agency when they started the probe on the directions of the federal government. The cabinet had green-lighted the move a few months back.

The federal cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, had directed FIA to initiate criminal investigations against all accused, including two former NAB chairmen and other officers. The approval was given on the recommendations of a one-man commission comprising former Supreme Court Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed.

The commission had termed the bureau’s era from 2011 to 2017 as the “darkest period” since its inception in 1999.

Read more: NAB asks FIA to halt probe into Broadsheet case

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“Its [NAB] officers had shrewdly played their role in closing down Swiss accounts cases by misleading the court,” the commission had observed.

The commission was formed in January this year to probe the execution of contracts and payments made by Pakistan to Broadsheet LLC. The UK-based company was hired by Pakistan to investigate the offshore assets of Pakistani politicians.

The commission had completed its probe in March and submitted the report to the Prime Minister Office. During the six-week inquiry, the commission recorded statements of 26 witnesses, including four former chairpersons of NAB.

Once the report was submitted the Prime Minister Office referred the matter to FIA for further investigation.

As soon as the FIA started its probe and sought record from NAB, the watchdog challenged the jurisdiction of the agency. It had asked FIA to stop the proceedings till the federal cabinet reconsidered its direction as they had objections to the investigation.

Additional Director General FIA (North) Abu Bakar Khuda Bakhsh, the supervisory officer in the Broadsheet scandal, was reprimanded for writing a letter to chairman NAB. The bureau reminded the senior FIA official that its chairman holds a constitutional post and asked how a grade-21 officer could write directly to him.

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Read more: NAB chief Justice Javed Iqbal issues transfer orders of 14 senior officials

According to sources, after a deadlock between the agency and the watchdog, the matter was then referred to the law ministry. The ministry ruled that the FIA was authorised to investigate NAB officials over their alleged criminal negligence.

On the recommendations, the cabinet now has allowed criminal proceedings against former caretaker law minister Ahmer Bilal Soofi, the then legal consultant of NAB Hassan Saqib Sheikh, former deputy director and desk officer of Broadsheet LLC for NAB Ghulam Rasool, former joint secretary of law ministry Abdul Basit, former deputy high commissioner of Pakistani in the UK Shahid Ali Baig, former director audit and accounts at the Pakistan High Commission UK Tariq Fawad Malik.

Among all the suspects it was Tariq Fawad Malik who had introduced Broadsheet LLC to NAB.

Govt to hold NAB accountable, says Fawad

Commenting on the Broadsheet scandal soon after the commission’s report, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had stated that “criminal liability” of former NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry and other high-ups will be investigated.

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The minister claimed that former president Asif Ali Zardari and other leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were acquitted on grounds that NAB did not have an original record of the Swiss accounts.

Fawad further said that ‘criminal investigations are also being initiated against NAB’s then director-general, prosecutor general and others on account of deliberately destroying and concealing evidence.

A senior FIA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Bol News that they have not been informed about any such decision in writing as of yet but after receiving such orders, they would start summoning the suspects.

Lauding the latest development, he remarked that history was being made as FIA has never investigated NAB in the past. He said it was a good decision of the federal cabinet that would enable the FIA to hold the Bureau accountable for its wrongdoing.

Read more: Finance Ministry unaware of NAB’s recovered amount of Rs821.5 billion

Former NAB prosecutor Raja Aamir Abbas echoed similar sentiments, saying FIA has never been assigned such an investigation against the watchdog in its history.

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“FIA should and must investigate negligence and corruption of NAB officials, if there is any in the Broadsheet case,” said Abbas.

The former prosecutor further noted that many people had played their part in enforcing a big financial loss in the scandal. He said even a former prosecutor of the Bureau had become a witness against it in the case.

Nawazish Ali, a spokesman of NAB, was approached for comments on the matter but did not respond till the filing of this report.

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