KARACHI: In aftermath of repealing the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday has brought the hearing of accountability cases to a halt.
Hearing a bail plea filed by Attar Hussain, an accomplice of Dr. Asim in corruption references, Justice Farooq Shah remarked that the provincial government has revoked the NAO and the court could not hold hearing on cases involving National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as party. He deferred hearing of such cases in future while adjourning the plea till July 19.
Meanwhile, the court has also adjourned hearing of petitions filed by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) unpaid employees.
Justice Farooq noted that revoking a law pertaining to NAB will benefit many.
NAO SINDH REPEAL BILL 2017
The proposed bill was passed at Sindh assembly on Monday which aimed to nullify the NAO 1999, having a title ‘National Accountability Ordinance 1999 Sindh Repeal Bill-2017’.
The Sindh government asserts that it’s the responsibility of the provincial government to take action against corruption and any action undertaken by the federation with regard to anti-corruption will be deemed unconstitutional.
The bill was proposed during the provincial cabinet meeting on Friday chaired by chief minister Murad Ali Shah.
The draft of the proposed bill states that eradicating corruption in the province is the sole responsibility of the provincial government rather than the federal government.
It asserts that any amendment to anti-corruption laws will be undertaken by the provincial assembly and can also repeal legislation by the federation. Also, two different acts of legislation cannot be implemented in the province.
Following the approval, the Sindh government will undertake all cases of corruption within the province, while NAB will transfer all ongoing cases to the provincial courts. The witnesses of the cases will not be summoned again. NAB will also expedite to dismiss appeals against ongoing cases, while further appeals and applications will be dealt under relevant provincial laws.
