ISLAMABAD – Federal Cabinet on Friday approved the circulation summary, and issued the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019 after President Dr Arif Alvi signed it.
According to the proposed NAB ordinance, the anti-graft watchdog will no longer be allowed to take action against government employees and Bureau will not seize property of government officials without the orders of the court.
If the accountability watchdog cannot complete an investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused will be entitled to bail. In addition, NAB will now only be able to proceed in corruption cases of Rs500 million and more.
The anti-graft agency’s jurisdiction over matters relating to tax, stock exchange and IPOs has been curtailed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and building control authorities will be the sole authorities tasked to act on all such matters.
No action will be launched against government employees in case of departmental deficiencies, as per the proposed ordinance.