The Sindh High Court accepted multiple petitions filed by the National Accountability Bureau on Tuesday. Consequently, the court ordered the immediate transfer of high-profile corruption references worth billions of rupees back to accountability courts. The high court also declared the previous transfer decisions by lower courts completely null and void.
Reinstatement of Corruption References
Thus, the court ruled that these references will now be deemed pending before the competent accountability courts. The bench ordered that any cases previously sent to anti-corruption or ordinary courts must return immediately. Furthermore, the trial courts must now expedite their legal hearings according to the law.
As a result, major references involving industrialist Iqbal Z. Ahmad, former National Bank president Ali Raza, Iftikhar Qaimkhani, and Ahmad Hayat will face accountability courts again. Similarly, high-profile corruption cases regarding the LPG quota, National Bank, Karachi Port Trust, and illegal transfers of government land in Karachi will return to these specialized courts.
Judicial Observations and Exemptions
In its official remarks, the bench observed that accountability courts committed a procedural error. For instance, these lower courts transferred cases to anti-corruption forums without seeking the explicit consent of the bureau. According to the bench, obtaining this consent remains binding on the trial courts.
However, the high court rejected the bureau’s specific petition against former Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Haider Jamali. Instead, the bench ordered the transfer of his reference to the concerned administrative department for further action. Finally, television reports confirmed that the long-standing cases will now resume their original legal course.
