ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court has clarified that the National Accountability Bureau was under no compulsion to inform the accused ahead of arrest.
A written order issued in this regard on Wednesday by a three-member bench was in connection with an appeal, the court heard last week.
The appeal was filed by the accountability watchdog against an individual Syed Jalil Arshad and another person, regarding an order issued by the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in 2016.
The bench headed by Justice Azmat Saeed stated that after examining the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, it is found that no limitation has been imposed on the anti-graft body to inform the accused.
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“Needless to say, if sufficient material has been gathered to connect a person to the commission of an offence, obviously NAB can arrest such a person,” the Supreme Court clarified.
The order said that they [court] do not expect the accountability bureau to misuse such power adding that the civil petition had been disposed of following the observation.
The National Accountability Bureau has faced criticism owing to its exercise of authority to arrest the accused off-guard, however, the top court’s order has now interpreted the authority loud and clear.
The apex court is also set to examine the overall functioning of the body as the Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa has recently taken a suo moto notice of the letter forwarded by Brig (r) Asad Munir before his suicide in which he had expressed his displeasure at the treatment meted out to accused during the probe.
