ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: Friendly relations between the ruling PML-N and the opposition PPP are in jeopardy as the latter is unhappy over National Accountability Bureau’s move to reinvestigate cases involving former president Asif Ali Zardari.
The PPP said NAB should not be used for arm-twisting of political opponents. “If NAB reinvestigates Mr Zardari’s cases it will lose its credibility,” Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah told Dawn.
He said the cases had almost been decided in local and foreign courts and there was no need to reinvestigate them.
Newly-appointed NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry has decided to reinvestigate all cases involving Mr Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other important figures even if they have been partly decided by courts.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, he said the bureau would not favour anyone and address each case on merit irrespective of previous or present positions of the accused.
Besides Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif, two cases involving Khursheed Shah will also be reinvestigated for which the Lahore High Court has already issued a directive to NAB.
Talking to Dawn, PPP Secretary General Sardar Latif Khosa alleged that the PML-N government had always used NAB against its political opponents. Then Ehtesab Bureau, headed by Saifur Rehman, was used to make fake cases against Benazir Bhutto and Mr Zardari in the late 90s.
He said the PPP would resist any move by NAB against its leaders.
Qamar Zaman, who is said to be a ‘loyalist’ of the ruling party, was appointed NAB chief on Oct 10 after consultations between the PML-N and the PPP.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf termed the appointment a ‘shifty’ deal between the two main parties to protect their leaders facing NAB cases.
Mr Khosa said NAB had no legal authority to reinvestigate a case which had already been decided by a court. “Mr Zardari’s cases have been tried for 15 years and what new evidence NAB will provide to courts.”
The PPP leader was of the opinion that the bureau would have to withdraw all its previous references against the former president if it wanted to reinvestigate cases against him. “Article 13 of the constitution says that no trial can be conducted once the case is decided by a court.”
Mr Khosa asked if NAB had any objection to its own investigations as well as courts’ decisions why it had not gone to an appellate court within due time. “How can a case be reinvestigated once it attains finality?”
He said the NAB’s move was also contrary to Article 10-A incorporated into the constitution through the 18th Amendment.
Sources in the bureau said that under-trial cases of Mr Zardari had been partly decided and the main accused acquitted and PPP leaders were of the opinion that the former president, being co-accused in these cases, would automatically be acquitted.
Meanwhile, JUI-F Senator Talha Mehmood had on Thursday sought details of corruption cases pending before NAB for more than two years, reasons for the delay and deadline for completing investigation into these cases.
In its reply, the law ministry said that 183 inquiries were in progress and these would be converted into investigations, if needed. It said 114 investigations were at various stages of completion.
“In certain cases the timeline is extended because of peculiar circumstances. The cases which involved longer time generally require information from foreign jurisdiction or are based on complex financial transactions, besides time span in procuring record from difference sources,” the ministry said.
It said finalisation of inquires involving white-collar crimes and their conversion into investigations was a continuous and time-consuming process. “At present, NAB enforcement operations -- conduct of inquiries, investigations and references -- are being handled with limited human resources that caused delay in finalisation of ongoing inquiries and investigations,” it said.
However, with the induction of new officers the existing inquiries and investigations would be completed in the shortest possible time, the ministry said.
