UK court permits Broadsheet to serve freezing orders on NAB inside Pakistan

LONDON: The UK High Court of Justice has permitted Broadsheet LLC to serve freezing orders inside Pakistan on National Accountability Bureau (NAB) headquarters and Attorney General of Pakistan’s office in the Islamabad after bureau's London lawyers failed to respond to court orders over several weeks.

Broadsheet LLC had further approached the High Court of Justice – after securing a freezing order for nearly £1 million at the United Bank Limited London branch – pleading that NAB’s lawyers at the Allen & Ovary were not responding to their correspondence and the latest court orders which implies the Allen & Overy had gone off the record, and were no more instructed by NAB which also meant that the Pak government doesn’t currently have a legal representation in the ongoing litigation brought by Broadsheet LLC’s Kaveh Moussavi.

This correspondent has seen the latest court order, issued by the Commercial Court, by Master Davison. The order said that the court was making the permission as Broadsheet LLC had made an application to serve the Interim Order on the Defendants out of the jurisdiction in accordance with the State Immunity Act 1978 and upon reading the written evidence filed in support of the Application.It orders that Broadsheet LLC has “permission to serve the Interim Order, the application notice, and all other documents filed in support of the Claimant’s application for the Interim Order on the Defendants out of the jurisdiction at the following addresses, such service to be effected in accordance with the State Immunity Act 1978 and CPR 6.44(2): a. First Defendant: Office of the Attorney General, 3rd Floor, Supreme Court Building, 44000 Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan. b. Second Defendant: Attaturk Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad, Pakistan.”

The order further says that Pakistan may, if so advised, file and serve on Broadsheet LLC written evidence stating any grounds of objection to the Court, making a final third party debt order not less than three days before the Hearing.

The court has mentioned that it was allowing Broadsheet LLC to serve the claim outside of the UK jurisdiction pursuant to several awards and orders made by the UK High Court of

Justice in the last two years in favour of Broadsheet LLC.

The court referred to the interim third party debt order of Master Davison dated February 15, 2021 made on the application of Broadsheet LLC which would be heard on July 30, 2021 for further consideration for a third-party debt order. Kaveh Moussavi, speaking to this correspondent, confirmed that he will be serving the order inside Pakistan through a Pakistani law firm in this week.