NAB closes half of major corruption cases against politicians

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has eliminated almost half of the 179 major corruption cases against famous politicians in the country.

Multiple politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani, and others, were facing corruption charges.

A case related to assets beyond known means against President Asif Ali Zardari is also included in the list, but authorities acquitted him in that case.

NAB also acquitted several individuals in major corruption cases, including former HBL head Yunus Habib, Husain Haqqani, Senator Sehar Kamran, and others.

On the directions of the Supreme Court (SC), NAB shared details on its website in 2015, stating that almost 179 corruption cases were submitted to the apex court.

Almost nine years later, the details in these cases showed three inquiries, four investigations, 85 undecided cases, and 87 cases closed by April 30, 2024.

NAB closed the inquiry in July 2023 against president Pakistan Muslim League –Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif and his brother Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a case related to abuse of power to construct a road from Raiwind to the Sharif family residence.

In 2017, NAB closed the investigation against Nawaz Sharif in a case regarding illegal appointments in Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).