NAB move to revive SGS, ARY gold cases

RAWALPINDI: The National Accountability Bureau moved on Friday applications in four accountability courts, seeking revival of corruption references withdrawn under the National Reconciliation Ordinance. Admitting a NAB application, Court-2 Judge Wamiq Ahmed issued notices to former CBR chairman A.R. Siddiqui in SGS reference and to former Punjab chief secretary Aslam Hayat Qureshi in ARY Gold reference and asked them to appear before the court, either in person or through lawyers, on Dec 22.

In both the references, President Asif Ali Zardari is the main accused and Mr Siddiqui and Mr Qureshi are co-accused.

In the Cotecna reference in which President Zardari is main accused, Court-3 Judge Najmul Hassan Najam asked the NAB to attach an attested copy of the Supreme Court’s Dec 16 verdict declaring the NRO as illegal and unconstitutional.

A number of corruption references will be revived on the NAB plea against politicians and bureaucrats, including Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, former interior minister Aftab Sherpao and former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Nawaz Khokhar.

In March last year, accountability courts absolved different corruption references filed against holders of public office after they moved applications under the NRO.