LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to move the court to place Sharif family’s name on exit control list (ECL).
Earlier, NAB requested the interior ministry to place the names of Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar on the ECL, over suspicion that they may attempt to leave the country as their trial is nearing conclusion.
The ministry had reportedly refused to entertain NAB’s request on the grounds that it would place the Sharif family members’ names on the ECL only on a court’s order.
The interior ministry had never, in the past, refused to entertain NAB’s requests to place the names of suspects on the ECL, said NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Khaliquz Zaman on Friday, adding: “Even in the case of Ishaq Dar (former finance minister), the interior ministry said that he was already out of the country and, therefore, there was no need to place his name on the ECL.”
Mr Zaman said that NAB might move the court against the interior ministry’s reluctance to place the names of suspects facing corruption references on the ECL. “We have never faced this situation before. Usually a suspect moves a court of law when his/her name is placed on the ECL, never the other way round. The reason behind this case is perhaps known to everyone,” Mr Zaman said.
Senior lawyer Asad Manzoor Butt said that the interior ministry could not put off a request made by a government investigation agency to place the name of a suspect on the ECL.
