PESHAWAR, April 9: National Accountability Bureau officials on Friday directed the staff of the environmental tribunal to vacate the accountability court No.2, which was handed over to the tribunal a few days ago by the federal law ministry.

Witnesses said NAB officials locked the courtroom, stating that the law ministry had no power to hand over the premises to the tribunal. They said the courtroom in the Judicial Complex on Khyber Road was given to NAB by the provincial government. The provincial government had handed over four courtrooms to NAB in 1999.

The environmental tribunal had started functioning in the courtroom and issued notices to 36 parties, directing them to appear on April 16.

In September 2004 the law ministry issued a notification through which an environmental tribunal was set up for the NWFP under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.

The tribunal comprises former Peshawar High Court judge Abdur Rauf Lughmani as its chairman and District and Sessions Judge Wajahat Ali Shah as its member, legal. Previously, the tribunal at Lahore dealt with cases of the NWFP also.

However, the tribunal in Peshawar could not start functioning due to non-availability of offices and courtroom.

Last week, the federal law ministry issued a notification whereby the premises of accountability court No.2 was handed over to the tribunal. After the elevation of Justice Saleem Khan, the presiding officer of court No.2, as a high court judge on Jan 3, no judge has been appointed there.

The notification states that the tribunal should function in the courtroom No.2 till any other premises is provided to it or an accountability judge is appointed.

A NAB official said the premises belonged to the provincial government and the bureau’s administrative work was going on there so the law ministry’s step of handing it over to the tribunal was illegal. He said the staff in the courtroom were also placed on the disposal of the tribunal.

The cases pending before court No.2 had not been transferred to other courts as there was a possibility of appointment of a judge on the vacant post, he said.