The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Monday expressed its discontentment over the “go-slow” policy adopted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials in recovering millions of rupees from owners of the Haris Steel Mills, the main accused in the Bank of Punjab (BoP) scam.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry expressed its displeasure when the court was informed about the case.
During the hearing, Shaikh Afzal, owner of Haris Steel Mills, informed the court through his counsel that the plea bargain process with the NAB had almost been completed and half of the amount had been paid back to the NAB.
The counsel complained that some of his client’s property in Dubai was sold for Rs 1.5 billion – at half the actual price – and pleaded that the court should order the NAB to investigate the matter.
Responding to the complaint, the chief justice remarked that assets could not be sold without the owner’s consent. He asked NAB to submit details in this regard by October 25.
Another member of the bench, Justice Khawaja, said the property was secretly sold in Dubai. However, the counsel for Afzal denied the allegation and said the court could investigate the matter.
Criticising the NAB’s performance, Justice Khawaja said how could NAB be expected to investigate matters abroad when it had failed to carry out investigations within the country.
The court later adjourned the proceedings until October 25 and sought the progress report from the prosecutor.
