Announcing its 57-page verdict in suo motu case clubbed with identical petitions about corruption of Rs 26.5 billion in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman to probe the matter thoroughly within three months.
The NAB chairman was also directed to file fortnightly progress report on the matter with the SC’s Registrar for perusal of the judges in their chambers for appropriate orders in the matter.
Besides, through its judgment, the court also issued contempt of court notice to Interior Minister Rehman Malik for constituting a new investigation team to probe into the corruption scam in the PSM without informing the apex court.
Malik has been directed to reply to the notice in two weeks.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry ordered the FIA director general to hand over all the record pertaining to the case’s investigation to the NAB for further investigations.
Earlier, the court had reserved its judgment in the case on March 15, when Industries Secretary Gul Muhammad Rind had failed to take timely action on a forensic audit report (2008-09) that had identified cumulative losses of Rs 26.5 billion faced by PSM in a single fiscal year.
Rind had apprised the court that after receiving FIA’s investigation report, the ministry would decide to refer the matter to NAB.
The court directed NAB chairman to probe into the mega scam involving more than Rs 26 billion losses in PSM and also take strict actions to recover the looted money from the plunderers.
The court also directed NAB to arrest absconders and all others who were involved in the PSM corruption.
The court directed NAB to activate its prosecution branch to seek cancellation of bails of the nominated accused in the case.
The judgment authored by Justice Tariq Parvez directed NAB to file references against the persons found involved in the PSM corruption after completing its enquiry and investigation under the law.
