President Zardari approves Fasih Bokhari's termination as NAB chief

ISLAMABAD: Making it official, President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday authorized the dismissal of Admiral (Retd) Fasih Bokhari as Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Geo News reported.

A presidential spokesman in an statement issued here said that President Zardari had undersigned a summary to this effect on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"In the light of the decision of the Supreme Court, Ministry of Law and Justice proposed to the Prime Minister to advise the President to terminate the said appointment from the date when the Court passed the judgment", the statement said.

The summary of Ministry of Law & Justice states that the Supreme Court of Pakistan in its judgment dated 28-05-2013 declared the appointment of Admiral (Retd) Fasih Bokhari, as Chairman NAB, to be without lawful authority and was set aside with immediate effect.

"His termination had been approved with effect from the date of Judgment of Supreme Court of Pakistan in Constitution petition No. 73 of 2011", it added.

Chairman NAB, the summary further states, has filed review petition against the order but the operation of the said order had not been suspended.

Earlier, Bokhari moved the Supreme Court to stop the government from appointing a new NAB chief as long as his petition challenging the court's voiding his appointment as chairman NAB was sub judice.

In the petition filed, he has taken the plea that if the new chairman NAB was appointed as per court’s order then his review petition would stand ineffective, which would be a violation of his right to fair trial.