September 17, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The government is likely to place accountability courts under the administrative jurisdiction of high courts after abolishing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance of 1999.

The accountability courts are hearing about 700 references.

“The NAB has always been used for political victimisation and buying loyalty of politicians,” Law Minister Farooq H. Naek told reporters on Tuesday during a visit to the bureau’s headquarters. He was briefed on the bureau’s role by its chairman Naveed Ahsan.

The minister said all corruption references against President Asif Ali Zardari and the late Benazir Bhutto were fabricated.

According to sources, the NAB ordinance and other rules pertaining to corruption will be substituted by a law under which such cases will be dealt with by ordinary courts.

A cabinet committee headed by Mr Naek and comprising Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Naveed Qamar and Planning Commission’s Deputy Chairman Salman Farooqi will review on Thursday all corruption references pending before the accountability courts.

Cases found to be politically motivated would be closed, the law minister said.