ISLAMABAD – President Dr Arif Alvi has promulgated the NationalAccountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 barring NAB from actingagainst the business community.
The new law offers more protection to public office-holders or governmentofficials while at the same time excludes several financial sectors.
Under the Ordinance, inquiries and investigations shall stand transferredto the respective authorities or departments which administer the relevantlaws of taxation, levies or imposts in question.
Trials shall stand transferred from the relevant Accountability Courts tothe criminal courts which deal with offences under the respective lawspertaining to taxation, levies or imposts in question.
Trials shall stand transferred from the relevant accountability courts tothe criminal courts which deal with offences under the respective laws.
No action under the ordinance shall be taken against any holder of publicoffice unless it is shown that the holder of public office has materiallybenefitted by gaining any asset or monetary benefit which isdisproportionate to his known sources of income.
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The ordinance also made it mandatory for NAB to obtain approval of ascrutiny committee, comprising NAB chairman, cabinet secretary, SECPchairman, FBR chief, and a law ministry representative, before actingagainst any government official.
It said that NAB would not seize property of government officials withoutorders of the court.
The NAB jurisdiction over matters relating to tax, stock exchange andIntellectual Property Organizatios has also been curtailed.
Under the ordinance, NAB officials have been barred from giving statementsto the media on an inquiry or investigation before the filing of formalreference.
