Nawaz Sharif gets clean chit in Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday gave a clean chit to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the investigation regarding Toshakhana reference.

The watchdog submitted a report to the accountability court affirming the court’s authority to acquit the former premier from the Toshakhana case.

The report submitted today stated that the Supreme Court had passed instructions to investigate an alleged fake account associated with Nawaz, however, it added that the PML-N chief did not utilize funds from the alleged account to pay for the vehicle taken from the Toshakhana.

The report by the country’s graft-buster further clarified that the vehicle was relinquished to Toshakhana in 1997, while in 2008 when Nawaz Sharif bought the car, the vehicle was no longer under the ownership of the Toshakhana.

In a reference filed in March 2020, the country’s accountability watchdog accused that during the term of prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, rules were violated to allow former president Asif Ali Zardari and former premier Nawaz to acquire luxury vehicles from the state’s gift repository.

It alleged that Gilani facilitated Zardari and Nawaz in this regard, claiming that he dishonestly relaxed the government’s gift acceptance procedure in 2007.

The procedure stipulated that vehicles presented as gifts by foreign dignitaries shall not be allowed to be purchased by the recipients and be given to the central pool under the care of the cabinet division.

PML-N faces double setback as LHC invalidates two NA seats

In October 2020, the accountability court declared the PML-N supreme leader an absconder due to his continuous non-appearance in the Toshakhana case and ordered the confiscation of his property.

According to the anti-corruption body, Zardari and Nawaz retained the vehicles “against a nominal payment of 15% of their total value” through “dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest”.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Toshakhana issue became a major sticking point in national politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the PTI chief for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

The judgment added that the former premier was found to be indulged in corrupt practices under sections 167 and 173 of the constitution. “A criminal proceeding will be initiated against him over filing a false statement.”