NA speaker, NAB chairman agree on protecting MNAs from arbitrary arrest

ISLAMABAD: No MNA will now be arrested arbitrarily in corruption cases by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), it has been learnt.

Informed sources said that in a meeting between National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and NAB Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad, a decision has been taken that in a corruption case against any MNA or official of the National Assembly Secretariat, the Bureau will first approach the NA speaker. The purpose of this understanding is to ensure that no MNA and NA Secretariat official is arrested arbitrarily or booked under corruption charges based on frivolous grounds or weak evidence.

Before proceeding or arresting any member of the National Assembly or official of the NA Secretariat on corruption charges, the NA speaker will be allowed to assess the case on its merits without any compromise on corruption. Every case of corruption against MNAs or NA Secretariat officials will be referred to the NA speaker by the NAB.

When approached, NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq confirmed to The News that an understanding on the issue has been reached between the two -- the National Assembly Secretariat and NAB. He assured that there will be no compromise on corruption and no corruption will be protected. The purpose of understanding between the two institutions, he said, is aimed at ensuring, a) no innocent is arrested arbitrarily without the availability of concrete evidence, and ii) no bad publicity is given to any MNA or NA Secretariat official based on mere allegations. The speaker said that all the cases referred to him would be considered on merit.

Meanwhile, official sources told The News that NAB is also expected to issue new SOPs based on what has been agreed between the NA speaker and NAB chairman. Similar mechanisms may also be structured for senators and members of the provincial assemblies.

This initiative of NAB is in line with its recently revised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued to protect businessmen and civilian bureaucracy from unnecessary harassment. Like members of the bureaucracy and business community, politicians in the past have also been arrested, jailed and harassed by the NAB on frivolous grounds. Furthermore, corruption cases were made and references were filed against many politicians in accountability courts without any concrete evidence. They were portrayed as corrupt by the NAB but in most of these cases, the Bureau failed to prove such allegations in the court of law.

For the same reason, even the Supreme Court has said in the past that the NAB in the name of accountability has been repeatedly used as a tool to victimise political opponents. The withdrawal of reference by NAB against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail and others in the LNG case is not only the admission of the Bureau’s past wrongs by its present management but also reflects a clear intent for change of policy of harassment and political victimisation.

The NAB recently issued new SOPs to all its offices for fair handling of only genuine complaints, admitting that precious time and resources get wasted in processing non-cognizable complaints that adversely impair efforts and impact of the Bureau’s operations. In the case of complaints against government servants, the following instructions were issued for strict following: i) No anonymous complaint against government officials will be entertained; ii) Identity of government officials will be kept strictly confidential during complaint verification process; iii) Complaints against officials up to BS-19 shall be authorised by Regional DGs, whereas, for BS-20 and above officers, approval of NAB chairman will be required; iv) government officials will not be called in person in NAB premises during complaint verification and inquiry stage; v) Regional DGs in consultation with the respective provincial chief secretaries will establish Accountability Facilitation Cells (AFCs) in respective civil secretariat for the requisite assistance; vi) All correspondence and sharing of information will be made through AFCs.

For consideration of processing complaints against businessmen, the SOPs said: i) No anonymous complaint against businessmen will be entertained; ii) Identity of businessmen will be kept strictly confidential; iii) No businessman will be summoned to NAB premises during complaint verification stage; iv) For dignified conduct of probe, a separate Business Facilitation Cell (BFC) will be establishment at regional NAB offices. The BFC will comprise representatives from respective chambers of commerce and industry, representatives from the “Realtors’ Association” and representatives from other business associations (if required on a case-to-case basis).