NAB likely to reopen cases against Sharif’s after SC verdict

Lahore: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) likely to reopen cases against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif after Supreme Court (SC) verdict.

According to sources, the Ramzan sugar mill case against former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and the plot allotment case against PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif will likely be reopened by the NAB.

Sources said that NAB will also reopen the cases against other political bigwigs and bureaucracy including Rana Mashhood, and former VC Punjab University Mujahid Kamran.

It is also expected that the misuse of power case against the former speaker of the Punjab parliament Sabtain Khan and the Paragon Housing Society case against former federal ministers Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Salman Rafiq may also reopen.

Furthermore, after the Supreme Court invalidated some of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) modifications made last year, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) earlier sent references against politicians to accountability courts.

It is important to note that the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of corruption cases against public officials after the previous coalition government's revisions to the nation's accountability laws were partially overturned.

The top court granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan's plea to challenge changes made to the nation's accountability legislation by a majority vote of 2-1.

Former CJP Bandial and Justice Ahsan declared Imran’s plea to be maintainable while Justice Shah disagreed with the verdict.

Following the verdict, the references against some of the country’s political bigwigs will once again land in the accountability courts.

These include the Toshakhana reference against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, LNG reference against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, rental power reference against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and assets beyond means case against former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

In June 2022, the former premier moved the apex court against amendments made to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance under the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022.