The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s top anti-corruption body, has decided to close five corruption inquiries against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members, including the Sharif Trust case. The decision was announced on January 1, 2024, after a meeting of the NAB executive board chaired by Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt.
The Sharif Trust case was initiated in 2000, alleging that the Sharif family had amassed illegal wealth through the trust, which was used as a front for benami properties. The case also accused the Sharif family of misusing the trust funds and evading audit scrutiny. The case was one of the several corruption cases that the NAB had filed against Nawaz Sharif and his family after the Panama Papers leak in 2016, which exposed their offshore assets.
However, the NAB has now terminated the investigation under Section 31-B of the National Accountability Act, 2022, which was amended by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government in 2023. The amended law gives the NAB chairman the power to withdraw or terminate any proceedings that are unjustified, in consultation with the prosecutor general. The NAB chairman has exercised this power to close the Sharif Trust case, as well as four other inquiries against different individuals.
The closure of the corruption inquiries is seen as a major relief for Nawaz Sharif and his family, who have been facing political and legal challenges since 2017, when Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers case. Nawaz Sharif, who is currently in London for medical treatment, has been declared a proclaimed offender by the courts for failing to appear before them. His daughter, Maryam Nawaz, and his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, are also facing various cases and restrictions by the NAB and other agencies.
The PDM, an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by Shehbaz Sharif, has been campaigning against the incumbent government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing it of being incompetent, corrupt, and subservient to the military establishment. The PDM has also demanded the resignation of Imran Khan and the holding of fresh elections. The PDM has staged several rallies and protests across the country, despite the government’s crackdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NAB’s decision to drop the corruption charges against Nawaz Sharif and his family is likely to boost the morale of the PDM and its supporters, who have been claiming that the cases against them are politically motivated and fabricated. However, the government and its allies have dismissed the NAB’s decision as a result of the PDM’s pressure and blackmail, and have vowed to continue the accountability process against the opposition leaders.