Government implements fresh ordinances for NAB and ECP

ISLAMABAD: Two ordinances concerning the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were issued in Islamabad on Monday.

The Acting President and Chairman of the Senate Yusuf Raza Gilani issued both ordinances, including amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.

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The National Accountability Ordinance 1999 was enacted to address the issue of corruption within the country. It established the National Accountability Bureau as an autonomous body tasked with investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, and abuse of authority, particularly among public officials and people holding positions of public trust.

The ordinance granted the NAB extensive powers to gather evidence, summon witnesses, freeze assets, and initiate legal proceedings against those found guilty of corrupt practices.

The amended NAB ordinance extended the remand period from 14 to 40 days. The punishment for NAB officers involved in filing malicious cases was also reduced from 5 years to 2 years.

Similarly, Gilani approved the Election Commission Ordinance that amended the law regarding the establishment of election tribunals. Under the new amendment, retired judges, in addition to serving ones, will be part of the election tribunal for handling election complaints.

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The ordinance also allowed for the appointment of retired judges alongside serving judges of the Election Tribunal High Court. The amendment was made to the Election Act 2023.