Why NAB should be disbanded and replaced
by an anti-corruption bench of the SC
By Shakir Lakhani Published: July 22, 2017
If they have
been honest and if their assets have been obtained legally, they should have no
difficulty in proving so in a couple of weeks.
There is much talk of disqualifying the Panama
accused to prevent them from running for public
office again. Disqualification alone will be against
the principles of natural justice. Simply disqualifying the accused will send
the wrong message to other corrupt
politicians who have enriched themselves over the
past few years. The court (in addition to sentencing the accused as per
law), should also seize all their properties and assets, freeze their bank
accounts, confiscate their vehicles and put their names on the Exit Control
List (ECL).
And it should not simply end with the conviction and
disqualification of those who are on trial today. There are many like them who
have looted
the country and enriched themselves while in positions of power. The
nation knows well who they are; they are those who have built palatial mansions
for themselves and who enjoy lavish lifestyles. They should simply be asked to
explain how they are able to spend so much, and what the source of their income
is. If they are not able to explain to the court that their properties have
been earned legally, they should be convicted, and all their assets seized
immediately.
Again, the process should not
simply end with politicians. The bureaucrats and civil servants who helped
those politicians in their illegal activities should also be investigated. If
they are found living beyond their means, and if they have assets which are
disproportionately large in comparison to their incomes, they too should be
convicted and their properties seized.
As for the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB), it should be disbanded immediately and
replaced by a permanent anti-corruption bench of the Supreme Court (SC).
Mushtaq Raisani, an officer of the Balochistan government, was
set free by NAB after surrendering only two billion rupees worth of cash,
jewellery and property, even though he was widely suspected of owning hidden
assets amounting to Rs40 billion. He would definitely have surrendered all his
assets in exchange for freedom if he had known that he would be sentenced to
imprisonment for many years.
Of course, the first case to be taken up (after the decision
on Nawaz Sharif and his family) should be that of the former
president, Asif Ali Zardari. Even though this man had been convicted of money laundering by
a Swiss court, no
action could be taken against him due to claims of immunity. Now he is living in
luxury, more than a Mughul king could have dreamed of. He should be
asked about how he is able to live in a palace in Dubai, besides having
mansions in France and the UK, how he is able to pay for the maintenance of
these houses, and the money trail leading to their purchase. A swift enquiry
followed by the seizure of his huge assets in Pakistan (which include many
sugar mills, agricultural land and 40 bungalows adjacent to the Bilawal House)
will put the fear of God in those who are planning to loot the country.
Then there was the case of the former naval chief Mansurul Haq who was released after a plea
bargain. We must not forget the scandal-ridden government of Zardari, when
there were allegations of corruption
against Fauzia Gilani, the wife of former Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Then, there was Raja
Pervaiz Ashraf (popularly known as Raja Rental) who was involved in the
scam of renting floating power plants at exorbitant rates. Moreover, the
Hajj scandal is still fresh in our minds, with the principal accused
being acquitted for a lack of evidence. But who can be asked to provide the
source of funding for his investments, properties and other assets?
In fact, even though NAB was aware of the corruption of the
ruling family and other politicians, it closed 129 cases against politicians in
the past three years (undoubtedly under political pressure). We need a radical
change in dealing with corruption, which causes the country a daily loss of
$133 million! Just by reducing corruption to half its present rate, we can wipe
out our foreign
debt of 75 billion dollars in only four years.
There is no need to form judicial investigation teams for this
process. If they have been honest and if their assets have been obtained
legally, they should have no difficulty in proving so. But knowing how
arrogant our
feudal lords are, as they have always assumed that they can go on
looting and plundering the nation with impunity, they are likely to have no
evidence that their properties have been purchased with legal income (just as
Nawaz was unable to do so). It’s time to make them accountable. They should
understand that the laws of the country also apply to them, not merely to
common Pakistanis, whose taxes they have pilfered and deposited in their
foreign bank accounts.
The nation will forever be
grateful to the SC if this process is taken to its logical end and those who
are corrupt are punished severely.
Shakir Lakhani
Engineer, former visiting lecturer at NED Engineering College,
industrialist, associated with petroleum/chemical industries for many years.
Loves writing, and (in the opinion of most of those who know him), mentally
unbalanced. He tweets @shakirlakhani (twitter.com/shakirlakhani)
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/53840/why-nab-should-be-disbanded-and-replaced-by-an-anti-corruption-bench-of-the-sc/
Post a Comment