It was too lenient to discourage corruption
President Mamnoon Hussain promulgated the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 2017 which will now guarantee that any individual who settles with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will not be eligible for taking any public office in the future nor be entitled to any perks/benefits that position entails.
Previously any plea bargain would require a nod from the accountability courts and the individual would be disqualified for a period of 10 years. In the case of voluntary returns only the nod of the NAB chairman was required and the convicted individual could resume as a public official immediately.
The Supreme Court had to take notice of a plea bargain of over Rs2 billion that was given to former Baluchistan finance secretary Mushtaq Raisani whose assets are said to be above Rs10 billion. The NAB had to face significant criticism for the leniency that was afforded to public officials via plea bargains, which they happily availed in order to escape lengthy trials and jail terms and a chance to get back a post similar to the one they used to pilferage and steal money in the first place.
It is a long overdue amendment and a welcome one. Although the ordinance will not apply to those who have already been released after taking plea bargains it will from now onwards keep those who have misused their position for financial gain to never have access to that power again.
That the government paid attention to the necessity of these changes only after the Supreme Court took notice is both unsurprising and unfortunate. Time and again the judiciary has had to force the government to follow or amend a particular law while essentially its role is limited to the interpretation of laws formulated and passed by senators and ministers.
Passing a law or amending an existing one while yielding turf is not a sustainable way to run the country. Hopefully the ruling party realises this sooner than later.
