President Arif Alvi on Wednesday promulgated the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, under which NAB Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqball will continue to serve the post until a new chairman is appointed.
The new NAB chairman will be appointed for a period of four years and his term may be extended under the amended ordinance.
The method followed for the appointment of the NAB chairman will be the one employed while granting an extension.
The ordinance states that the president Justice (R) Javed Iqball will appoint the NAB chairman in consultation with the prime minister and the opposition leader.
In case of a failure to reach a consensus on the appointment, the matter will be sent to a 12-member parliamentary committee formed especially for the matter of the appointment.
Under the new ordinance, the president has the authority to establish as many accountability courts in the country, as he deems fit.
Judges to the accountability courts will be appointed for a three-year term, the ordinance states.
The amendment also allowed additional session judges to be elevated as the accountability court judges while the trial court will be responsible for granting bail to the suspect as per the NAB ordinance.
