Maryam Nawaz arrested by Pak's anti-graft body
Lahore: Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, was arrested here on Thursday in a money laundering case while she was visiting her jailed father, an official said.
On July 31, the 45-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam was questioned by the anti-corruption agency officials in connection with the alleged money laundering and income beyond means charges against her and her family.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Maryam from the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore where her father is serving a seven-year prison term since December 24, 2018 after he was convicted in one of the three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case.
"We have arrested Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case as she was facing money laundering and income beyond means charges," a NAB official told PTI.
Maryam had been given a questionnaire based on six questions in the CSM case, which she was due to answer by 3pm (local time) on Thursday. However, the NAB officials reached the jail and detained her, the Dawn News reported.
According to the NAB officials, Maryam had excused herself from appearing before the accountability bureau on Thursday and had gone to meet Nawaz in the jail. She is now being taken to the NAB headquarters.
Her arrest came the day after she accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of "fall of Kashmir" and demanded registration of a treason case against him. Besides, she has been challenging the powerful military establishment for installing the Imran Khan government through a stolen mandate.
Maryam had appeared before NAB on July 31 to record her statement in the case. The statement was regarding "dubious" business transactions of the CSM case of which she was one of the major shareholders, the Dawn report said.
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SC delivers split verdict on Section 17A of PC Act mandating sanction to probe govt servants
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a split verdict on the constitutional validity of a 2018 provision of the anti-graft law which mandates prior sanction for initiating a probe against a government servant in a corruption case.
While Justice BV Nagarathna said Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act is unconstitutional and needs to be struck down, Justice KV Viswanathan held the provision as constitutional while stressing on the need to protect honest officers.
Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, introduced in July 2018, bars any “enquiry or inquiry or investigation” against a public servant for recommendations made in discharge of official duties without prior approval from the competent authority.
The top court's judgement came on a PIL filed by NGO 'Centre for Public Interest Litigation' (CPIL) against the validity of amended section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Requirement of prior sanction is contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act, forecloses inquiry and protects corrupt, Justice Nagarathna said.
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"Section 17A is unconstitutional and it ought to be struck down. No prior approval is required to be taken... The requirement of prior sanction is contrary to the object of the Act, and it forecloses inquiry and protects the corrupt rather than seeking to protect the honest and those with integrity who really do not require any protection," Justice Nagarathna said.
Justice Viswanathan said striking down section 17A will be akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water and the “cure will be worse than the disease”.
"Section 17A is constitutionally valid subject to the condition that the sanction must be decided by the Lok Pal or the Lokayukta of the State...
"The safeguard of this provision will strengthen the hands of honest officers but also ensure that the corrupt are brought to book. It will guarantee that the administrative machinery attracts the best talent for the service of the nation,"Justice Viswanathan said.
The case will now be placed before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for forming a larger bench to hear the matter for a final decision.
"Having regard to the divergent opinions expressed by us, we direct the Registry to place this matter before the Chief Justice of India for constituting an appropriate bench to consider the issues which arise in this matter afresh," the bench said.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, had argued that the provisions crippled the anti-corruption law as sanctions were not usually forthcoming from the government, which was the ‘competent authority’.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had appeared for the Union government.
