The day after the High Court issued a detailed judgment, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced on Thursday that it would challenge the bail granted by the Supreme Court to PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Asif.

A NAB statement said that in the case of Ahsan Iqbal, the bureau will also contact the Accountability Court to hold daily hearings.

“The National Bank has submitted a letter of recommendation for Ahsan Iqbal to the Honor and Accountability Tribunal of Islamabad, which is currently under trial. [Now] NAB has decided to submit an application to require the court to hold daily case hearings in accordance with Article 16-A of the NAB Regulations,” the statement said.

The statement also stated that NAB will file a lawsuit with the Supreme Court for the bail of Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Asif, which were approved by the High Courts of Islamabad and Lahore, respectively.

NAB ultra vires in arresting Ahsan Iqbal, IHC rules

On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a detailed bail order against PML-N General Secretary and former Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in the Narowal Sports City Complex case, ruling that the National Accountability Bureau exceeded its authority when he arrested him in 2019. .

The Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah and Judge Lubna Saleem Pervez approved Iqbal’s bail on February 25, 2020 in writing.

In the judgment, the court held that NAB failed to provide evidence of corruption against Iqbal.

The court acknowledged that the project was launched for the benefit of the Narowal people and was approved by the Central Development Working Group (CDWP) of the Authorized Forum, and that Iqbal did not receive financial benefits from the project.

It ruled that records show that Iqbal had been voluntarily cooperating with investigators when the case had not yet entered the investigation stage. The verdict stated that at the current stage of the investigation, the petitioner was presumed innocent.

In July 2018, NAB began investigating complexes raised with funds of up to Rs 3 billion.

The accepted fact that Khawaja Asif did not harm the country’s finances: the Large Hadron Collider

On the same day, the Lahore High Court (LHC) also ruled on Khawaja Asif’s bail application.

Two weeks ago, in a lawsuit filed by NAB against him, the LHC granted bail to the leader of PML-N, accusing him of money laundering and possession of assets beyond known sources of income.

On Wednesday, two members of the LHC, composed of Chief Justice Aalia Neelam, passed the 18-page verdict.

The court’s decision indicated that the investigating officer’s report indicated that the investigation of Asif was ongoing. The judgment stated that the NAB prosecutor stated that the reference to Khawaja Asif should be sent to the NAB chairman.

The 18-page judgment stated that allegations that Asif’s assets exceed income are under investigation. So far, no reference materials have been submitted for PML-N leaders.

According to the decision, representatives of the International Electromechanical Company (IMECO) headquartered in the UAE wanted to come to Pakistan. The verdict stated that the investigators did not include representatives of the Dubai company in the investigation, adding that Asif had declared his overseas income in the income tax return.

The court ruled that it is a recognized fact that Khawaja Asif did not harm the country’s finances.

The court stated that NAB investigators failed to verify the overseas funds of Asif from 2004 to 2008 with the embassy.

PTI leader Usman Dar’s petition to NAB has also become part of the written decision.

The LHC’s written report contains detailed information on Asif’s income.

Asif was arrested on December 29, 2020. He applied for bail on March 27, 2021 and completed the debate on Asif’s bail application within three days.

Asif stated in his bail request that he was arrested by NAB on December 29, accusing him of possessing assets beyond known sources of income and engaging in money laundering activities.

He told the court that he had submitted the detailed information requested by NAB and claimed that the anti-corruption watchdog did not share any records he submitted.

“The accountability court judge also observed that NAB has all relevant records,” Asif said.

He has stated that the Federal Taxation and Election Commission of Pakistan also has a record of the assets he owns.

On December 29, NAB arrested the leader of the PML-N Parliament in the National Assembly on suspicion of possessing assets beyond known sources of income.

He was arrested after leaving the residence of Ahsan Iqbal, the general secretary of PML-N, where he attended a consultative meeting to decide whether PML-N should participate in the Senate election.