The federal government on Monday rejected a summary that sought to remove the independence of the anti-corruption agency and its head in an effort to protect the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) sovereignty.
In its summary, NAB asked the government to designate the anti-graft watchdog as the Civil Service Occupational Group; however, the Ministry of Law rejected the summary, claiming that NAB and its chairman are more independent than the civil service group.
The anti-graft watchdog would cease to be an independent agency if the summary is approved, according to the law ministry’s letter.
The National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, which intended to limit the application of NAB to public transactions, was approved by the National Assembly in August.
The modified measure established NAB’s pecuniary authority to only act against “mega scandals.” Furthermore, it had been suggested that in order to speed up the court’s processes within a year, further references may only be filed with the court’s consent.
The investigation officers are prohibited from harassing anybody during the investigation or inquiry, and they are only allowed to ask questions that are necessary for the investigation or inquiry or to gather evidence, according to the bill.
