New accountability law to 'protect' politicians

LAHORE - The new law on accountability is on the cards with a view to laying hands on the government servants and the perpetrators of public fraud, as well as, to keep the politicians outside accountability net.
The Federal Ministry of Law and Justice, after drafting the bill has sent it to the Cabinet division and the same is expected to be formally approved by the Cabinet within next month.
As per the sources in the law department, the proposed legislation has been titled Independent Accountability Commission which would substitute the present National Accountability Bureau operating through the 17th Amendment. The salient features of the proposed bill also envisage protection of the politicians from any direct action on them by the Commission with respect to an offence. However, the Commission would come into action against a politician whether in power or otherwise, only after prior referral of the charges against him to Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament and its consent. It would mainly operate against the governments and the public fraud on money, government assets, banks etc. The main objective of the new law, the sources say, is elimination of corruption and corrupt practices. The proposed legislation is somewhat a remodel of the NAB Ordinance as most of the provisions therein are those already present in the existing law but is reshaped to cater to the needs of laying strict hands on the corrupt in the public departments.
The Commission would investigate into the offences and prepare challan which would be put before the court for prosecution. The proposed bill also envisages constitution of new courts for holding accountability. The sources say, unlike the existing ones, the trial courts under the proposed law would be empowered to grant bail to the accused persons. The powers of 'plea bargaining' by the Commission have also been curtailed in the proposed law.
It may be recalled that the PPP government immediately on coming to power had announced to dispense with the NAB law chiefly for the reason, this forum constituted by the Musharraf regime in the early days after October 12 coup was extensively used for political victimization as well as to pressurize rivals of the military rule to enlist silence on their part or make them share power. Most of the PPP leaders including sitting Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani were held by the NAB and penalized on the charges which in the long run, were proved false. In order to keep a system of accountability as well as to satisfy the Transparency International, which had funded the NAB to see corruption-free system in Pakistan, the present government has proposed a new legislation which, according to the sources, would be brought into operation next month when process of Senate Election would have been completed.
It may be noted that about 50 per cent manpower of NAB has been curtailed since inception of the PPP government. At present about 250 cases are pending before the Accountability Courts while 400, questioning the NAB cases are before Lahore High Court. Sources say the pending cases before the Accountability courts are likely to be sent to the ordinary courts or the special courts until the new accountability law would takes effect.