On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court has disregarded the NAB’s reference against former president and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari declaring it ultra vires while directing the bureau to make a new reference, Daily Times reported.
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq heard a petition filed by Mr. Zardari seeking his acquittal in the NAB’s reference against his property in America.
While hearing the petition, CJ Minallah announced that the NAB’s reference against Mr. Zardari was not according to the law. He scolded the bureau that all its references got busted because they were not prepared as per the law.
The court tasked the anti-graft watchdog to make a new reference while excluding the income tax matter from it till Jan 18.
CJ Minallah remarked that the NAB should first send this matter to the Federal Board of Revenue before making the reference. He said that the bureau was just wasting its time by making pointless references. He stated that NAB was not above the law.
How the bureau could declare null and void the Income Tax Order by itself, the CJ observed adding that the NAB does not have any jurisdiction to nullify the FBR Assessment Order. He ordered the watchdog to send the case to the FBR as the revenue board does have the authority to look into the matter.
Farooq Naek, the counsel for the former president, said that he had submitted the acquittal application of Zardari before his indictment. He said that the accountability court should have sent a notice to the NAB and should have sought a reply from it.
Mr Naek further informed the court that Mr Zardari submitted his acquittal application under the Second Amendment Accountability Bureau Ordinance.
