National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has the power to arrest former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons for their failure to appear before the Bureau's designated Investigation Officer in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case. Talking to Business Recorder on Saturday, former NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta cited Section 24 of the NAB Ordinance which authorizes NAB's investigation official to arrest an accused or co-accused while investigating the matter.

Section 24 of the NAB Ordinance stipulates: "The Chairman NAB shall have the power, at any stage of the inquiry or investigation under this Ordinance, to direct that the accused, if not already arrested, shall be arrested". Bhutta stated that Chairman NAB or anyone he duly authorizes may summon any individual for information to satisfy himself under Section 19 of the NAB Ordinance.

Under Section 24 of the NAB Ordinance if a NAB official feels that the accused/individual summoned did not appear deliberately before him then he can bring the matter to the notice of the NAB Chairman and get the order to arrest the accused or co-accused.

Non-bailable arrest warrants can be issued against Nawaz Sharif and his sons for their failure to appear before NAB Lahore on August 18, he added. Section 18 of NAB Ordinance gives NAB's investigating officer the same power as a Station House Officer (SHO), he added. Bhutta added that it is not mandatory for NAB to stop its inquiry or investigation in any matter just because the accused/co-accused has filed a review petition in the court.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017