Half of NAB's 179 mega corruption cases disposed of

• List of these cases was submitted before SC in 2015. 
• Sharif brothers, Raja Pervaiz, others are beneficiaries.
• So far there are 10 convictions out of these 179 cases.

ISLAMABAD: Almost half of the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) 179 mega corruption cases have either been closed or disposed of, benefitting several top politicians including the Sharif brothers, The News reported Saturday.

The list of these cases was submitted before the Supreme Court in 2015.

The beneficiaries also include former prime ministers Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani among others.

A case of assets beyond known sources of income against President Asif Ali Zardari was also included in the list, however, he was acquitted in the case.

Among the ‘mega corruption cases’, inquiries against former Habib Bank Limited (HBL) chief Younus Habib, Hussain Haqqani, Senator Sehar Kamran, Schon Group and others were also closed by NAB.

So far there are merely 10 convictions out of these 179 cases while the cases of acquittal are almost 19 till recently when the NAB updated the information.

According to the details, shared by NAB on its official website on the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a list of 179 mega cases was submitted before the apex court in May 2015.

The breakup of these 179 ‘mega corruption cases’, at that time, was 81 inquiries, 52 investigations and 46 court references.

After almost nine years, the details of these cases include three inquiries and four investigations still under progress, 87 references under trial and 85 cases, mostly inquiries and investigations, stand disposed of as on April 30, 2024. These 85 cases also include the references decided in favour or against the accused by the accountability courts.

An investigation against Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and others in an alleged case of misuse of authority regarding the construction of a road from Raiwind to Sharif's family residence, was closed in July 2023 by the NAB.

The anti-corruption agency also closed an investigation against Nawaz in alleged illegal appointments in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cases in 2017.

Inquiry against Ashraf, his then-principal secretary and others in an alleged case of misuse of authority in the release of funds for a dual road from Sohawa to Chakwal and Mandra to Gujjar Khan was also closed by NAB in 2017.

An investigation against Shujaat in an alleged case of assets beyond means was closed by the NAB in 2021.

Three inquiries are still pending after so long because of restraining orders by the Lahore High Court (LHC). After the lapse of over nine years, an investigation against the management of DHA Valley Islamabad and others is still under process. Similarly, an investigation against former minister for commerce and industries Mir Abdul Ghafoor Lehri is in progress.

Among the 179 cases, the investigation against CDA officials and management of BNP Group in the construction of the Grand Hyatt Tower is also included. About the status of this case, the NAB states, “Matter is adjudicated in Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan”.

Out of these 179 cases, so far there are only ten convictions including a few cases of conviction through plea bargain. There are almost 19 cases of acquittal so far.