NAB convicts’ 10-year disqualification has been reinstated

According to the Islamabad High Court, a disqualification period has been issued to graft convicts sentenced under the accountability laws that are enforced by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Having restored the 10-year disqualification period for the crimes committed against criminals, the IHC’s division bench – comprised of Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Saman Rafat Imtiaz – suspended an earlier decision issued by the single bench of the IHC.

A single bench ruling ruled that the disqualification period should be reduced to five years instead of 10 according to the single bench verdict.

During the hearing, the NAB had filed a complaint against the reduction of the 10-year disqualification period for its convict to a five-year period, which resulted in the court’s decision today.

NAB Muhammad Rafi, a Senior Special Prosecutor in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, appeared in the IHC and informed the court that the Supreme Court had upheld the sentence of PML-N politician Faiq Ali Jamali.

It has been restored Jamali’s disqualification for 10 years following the injunction of the IHC.

In a statement released earlier in the day, the PML-N declared Jamali as its candidate for the Balochistan legislative assembly elections. He contested the elections a day earlier.

During the trial, the prosecutor informed the court that, in accordance with NAB law, the disqualification would last for 10 years.

Earlier this month, the NAB approached the IHC with a request for permission to be allowed to contest the general elections on February 8 with respect to those convicted under the NAB Ordinance on January 1.

There was a request made by the NAB to the high court requesting that they suspend their single bench decision and restore the disqualification period of ten years for the NAB convicts from being eligible for public office.

A watchdog for anti-graft law enforcement pointed out that persons convicted under the NAB law are relying on the decision of the single bench of the high court to contest the upcoming elections as the basis for their convictions.

As per NAB, in June last year one bench of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Court of India had reduced the disqualification period for NAB convicts to five years from ten years, as the court determined in its judgment.

As a result of the bureau’s request, the high court has suspended the contested decision on the intra-court appeal that was contested by the parties.

That news provided by timenews.