NAB to close two Musharraf era investigations against PM, CM Punjab

PML-N leaders say cases were political victimization; NAB officials say no substantial evidence found

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau is all set to close two investigations into alleged corruption cases initiated during the Pervez Musharraf regime against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.

The Executive Committee of the NAB is expected to take the decision as concerned authorities in the Bureau has recommended the closure of the investigations in two cases involving the ruling Sharifs.

Two separate investigations have been under progress against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In one of the cases, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and others are alleged of misusing their authority in the construction of road from Raiwind to Jati Umra residence of Sharifs. The case is pending with the NAB since 2000, and involves the alleged misappropriation of Rs 125 million.

In the other cases, the prime minister is alleged of making illegal appointments in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). This inquiry is pending against the premier since 1999. These cases against Sharifs were included by the NAB among cases of “mega corruption”, the list of which was presented by the Bureau before the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2015.

Sources said that the concerned investigation officers as well as the prosecution desk of the NAB have concluded that there is no substantial evidence available to convert the investigation into a reference. In the absence of concrete evidence, the NAB sources claim, the concerned investigation officers have recommended to drop these investigations.

The investigations, they said, were conducted fairly and if anybody challenged this they would welcome it because any reinvestigations would reach the same conclusion. All inquiries and investigations pending with NAB since long are being minutely scrutinized under Bureau’s policy of either maturing these cases for prosecution or give a clean chit to those probed.

This policy was framed in early 2015 and the deadline of Dec 31, 2015 was set for deciding the fate of all the pending inquiries and investigations. However, in many cases including the cases against Sharifs, the deadline was not met and the concerned Director General sought more time initially till 31st March, 2016. Later more time was sought.

Like many others, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was said to be upset for the reason that these cases are pending with the NAB for over a decade now but neither he has been cleared nor a formal reference has been made against him. The PML-N general view is that these cases were made against the Sharifs by Musharraf to politically victimize them.

It is argued by the N-leaguers that these cases have no basis but have been used to vilify the PML-N top leadership. They said this was the reason that the Musharraf regime did not let the NAB to complete the investigations.  However, others raise question on the working of the NAB and alleged NAB of dropping high profile cases against PPP and PML-N leaders during their successive governments.

According to NAB officials, the present NAB strategy is to either convert the pending investigations into formal references on the basis of solid evidence or drop the inquiries because of inadequate evidence available to prosecute the person alleged of corruption or misuse of authority.

“We are doing it without any fear and favour,” NAB official insist, adding that under the same strategy a large number of inquiries/investigations have already been either dropped or turned into references.