LAHORE – Punjab public sector companies’ chief executive officers get ablow from the Supreme Court of Pakistan over the hefty salary packages.

SC has ordered to deposit the amount they received as big salaries to theNational Accountability (NAB) within three months.

The court also directed the bureau to start recovery from those who werenot willing to return their excessive salaries. A three-judge bench, led byChief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, heard a case about excessive salaries ofchief executive officers (CEOs) and officers of public sector companies inthe Punjab.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were other members of thebench. The court was informed that 39 out of 56 officers, who worked forthe public sector companies in the past, or were currently working forthem, had voluntarily agreed to return the salaries they received over andabove their regular salaries as the government servants.

Representing at least 20 officers, advocate Ahsan Bhoon sought one-yeartime for return of the salaries in instalments. However, the chief justicedeclined to grant such a long time and observed that no money would berecovered after his retirement.

Chief Justice Nisar would retire in January 2019. The bench observed thatNAB was free to drop inquiries against the officers if there was no othercharge than receiving of excessive salaries against them.