ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has highlighted the need for legislative policy changes to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) as well as strengthening NAB officer’s training programs to prevent the anti-graft watchdog’s abuse of power.
Syed Qalb-i-Hassan, SCBA president said, “The integrity and reputation of an institution that is responsible for the country’s accountability should be up to the mark and must follow the highest standards set globally for such institutions of fundamental importance.”
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He also expressed concern about the processes and methods used by NAB officials during their conduct of the proceedings.
The president of the SCBA said NAB was set up to eradicate corruption and malpractice at the top level and to create the rule of law across the board, but the mechanism adopted by the agency had raised questions among sensible minds of society about the process of detention, inquiries, prosecutions and pending trials.
The detention of suspects without gathering evidence had become a norm and the trend of searching for evidence to justify the arrest had become the order of the day, the president SCBA regretted.
He further said, “due to the non-professional approach of the officers of the bureau, the most important and fundamental rights, including the right to freedom are being violated, he added.”
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He said, therefore the SCBA sought legislative changes and better training programs for officials of NAB to curtail their practice of abuse of power.
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