SC scraps amendments made to anti-graft laws

Islamabad: In a landmark ruling, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday scrapped the recent amendments to the country’s anti-graft laws and restored corruption cases against public office holders, including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was one of the major beneficiaries of the changes.

The apex court was announcing its reserved decision on jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s plea filed last year, challenging the amendments made to the accountability laws by the then government led by former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif.

Nawaz Sharif, 73, is scheduled to return to Pakistan on October 21 from London, ending his four-year-long self-exile. A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah issued a reserved judgment by a 2-1 majority.

Justice Shah disagreed with the majority verdict. Annulling the changes by the government headed by Shehbaz Sharif, the court declared that amendments, like limiting the jurisdiction of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-corruption watchdog, to the cases involving over Rs 500 million.