By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has not filed appeals against the 322 decisions of the high courts including the Hudaibiya Papers Mills reference while appeals against 228 decisions have been filed in the Supreme Court.
The NAB Chairman, Qamar Zaman Chaudhary was told by the bureau’s prosecution that it was not a fit case for an appeal because the only thing NAB could ask from the Supreme Court (SC) was a re-investigation and a reinvestigation would be perceived as witch hunting/victimisation which would only bring a bad name to NAB and damage its credibility.
Qamar Zaman Chaudhary while deciding not to file an appeal against Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference wrote that the prosecution was unanimous in its opinion that, for various (fatal) illegalities committed during the course of investigation, the quashment was unexceptionable.
The then Prosecutor General NAB and now learned judge of the Sindh High Court K.K. Agha had submitted his opinion stating that this is the Raiwand estate case which essentially concerns assets beyond known sources of income by certain members.
A two member Bench of the LHC unanimously decided to quash the case, however, the two judges differed on the question of whether the matter could be reinvestigated by NAB after the matter had been quashed.
This lead to the question of reinvestigation being referred to a Referee Judge to determine whether the matter could be re investigated after quashment.”
Agha further mentioned, “Although not asked, the Referee Judge held that the reference had rightly been quashed. He also held that no reinvestigation was possible after quashment.”
Upon the Prosecution’s opinion, the chairman NAB Qamar Zaman Chaudhary decided not to file an appeal in the case.
