ISLAMABAD: Despite criticism from the opposition quarters, the government on Saturday notified the appointment of retired Justice Azmat Saeed as the head of one-man commission formed to investigate the Broadsheet episode.
Copies of the notification were sent to the office of the attorney general, secretaries to the president and the prime minister.
The government on January 21 appointed Saeed as head of the committee. In a subsequent meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary committee, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the commission would also investigate the acquisition of Surrey Palace and Swiss courts cases involving the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) including the party’s co-chairperson Asif Zardari.
According to the agreed-on terms of reference (TORs) of the commission, the body will probe not only the Broadsheet case but also all mega corruption cases which have surfaced since 1999.
Reports citing sources suggest the commission had been empowered to investigate corruption scandals that had taken place since 1999, the year of establishment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The commission will also find out the reasons behind the anti-graft agency’s termination of the tripartite agreement between the government of Pakistan, Broadsheet LLC, and International Fraud and Asset Recovery in 2003.
The commission has also been tasked with digging out the reasons for the payments made by the state of Pakistan to Broadsheet in 2008, and whether these payments were legal. It will also identify the individuals operating behind the scenes to ensure the payment of $1.5 million in 2008.
