NAB can act if judges’ matters involve graft: PM’s aide

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Irfan Qadir said Thursday said the matters of superior court judges could be referred to NAB if they had “criminal overtones or an element of corruption.” Addressing a press conference, the SAPM said the NAB Ordinance envisages across the board accountability. There is no sacred cow “when it comes to accountability,” he maintained.Irfan Qadir was of the view the judicial system was being manipulated by certain people on the outside besides an indications of an element of corruption. The government while considering such matters exercised extreme caution regarding the formation of the commission to investigate the matter, he added. He said it was a fair opportunity provided to the judges to prove their innocence.

If the commission’s report were favourable, the matter would not have been referred to the Supreme Judicial Council or the NAB, he added. He said the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, empowered the Supreme Court and protected the chief judge from allegations, but the “court formed a bench against the law. The government and the parliamentarians tried their best to protect the apex court from the allegations against its chief.” The SAPM said the NAB had found more evidence in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, tracing transactions worth Rs4.50 billion from the accounts of Farhat Shehzadi, the friend of former prime minister’s wife. The SAPM said efforts were underway to bring her and her husband back from abroad for further investigation.