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ISLAMABAD: The accountability courts have returned 50 National Accountability Bureau references against several high profile politicians of the ruling alliance after amendments in NAB laws.
According to details, leaders who benefited from the new changes in anti-graft watchdog’s laws include Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
Accountability courts have termed the references out of their jurisdiction. Ramzan sugar mill reference against Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz was also returned.
A court also returned NAB’s reference against former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for alleged corruption in USF funds while a court returned six rental power corruption references filed against former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
Moreover, references against PPP’s Saleem Mandviwala, Aijaz Haroon, former CM KP Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and PPP senator Rubeena Khalid have been returned after the recent changes in the law.
Amendments in NAB law
Last month, the National Assembly passed the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act, 2022 with a majority vote, amending the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (NAO).
Under the new amendments, the offense of corruption and corrupt practices as per the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, will be tied to the value of Rs500m. To clarify, NAB will have no jurisdiction to proceed in corruption cases involving less than Rs500 million. Therefore, cases were reviewed to decide which ones to pursue and which ones to close as per the amendment.
