NAB chairman summons meeting to formulate strategy on restoring graft cases

• NAB Prosecution Division to give briefing on apex court's decision.
• Additional Prosecutor General Tarar given acting charge as PGA.
• Prosecution Division works out details of over 2,000 cases: sources.

ISLAMABAD: Following the Supreme Court's Friday verdict in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendment case, NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt summoned a consultative meeting to formulate the future course of action, The News reported on Sunday.

The NAB Prosecution Division on Monday will give a detailed briefing to the meeting participants on the apex court's decision to strike down some amendments in the NAB law, according to sources.

The apex court restored all closed inquiries filed with the anti-graft body and ordered the restoration of all graft cases worth less than Rs500 million that were closed down against the political leaders belonging to different political parties and public office holders, declaring the amendments void.

Furthermore, the court directed the NAB to return all records related to cases to relevant courts within seven days.

However, issues may arise from Prosecutor General Accountability Justice (PGA) retd Syed Asghar Haider's resignation last week.

To overcome the technical issue of the PGA's absence, the NAB chairman has given the acting charge to Additional Prosecutor General Akbar Tarar till the appointment of a new prosecutor general.

The sources said the NAB Prosecution Division has worked out details of over 2,000 cases at the reference stage, complaint verifications, inquiries, and investigations, to be restored after the apex court decision.

According to sources, as many as 755 cases had been returned at the inquiry stage, 292 cases at the investigation stage, 510 returned cases had been of less than Rs500 million amount, 168 cases returned with regard to assets beyond known source of income, 213 cases as per Section 9A while 89 cases related to fraud are likely to be reopened.