SC turns down bail plea of Khalid Langov

The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down bail plea of former finance advisor to chief minister Balochistan, Khalid Langov, in a corruption case. Expressing dismay over the lacklustre performance of top anti-graft body in the matter, a three-judge bench led by Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is replete with corruption.
During the course of proceedings, a member of the bench Justice Qazi Faiz Isa asked the Prosecutor General NAB Waqas Qadeer Dar as to why reference has not been filed in the matter to which the court was informed that the Bureau will file the same during the next two or three days.
Justice Qazi Faiz Isa observed that court has asked the reason behind delay in filing reference and asked the Chairman NAB Qamar Zaman Chaudhry to respond the query to which the prosecutor general NAB submitted that he will satisfy the court. Qamar Zaman Chaudhry submitted that approval to file reference in the current matter has been granted after consultation with the PG NAB and concerned director general NAB to which Justice Qazi Faez Isa observed that there is no such provision in the NAB Ordinance which binds chairman to hold consultation with other officials in filing reference in a case.
"It means you give preference to the view of your subordinates instead of applying your own mind," Justice Dost Muhammad Khan asked the chairman NAB, adding that his subordinates may have entered into deal with the accused under the table. Justice Qazi Faez Isa said while addressing the chairman NAB that the Bureau should change its slogan 'Say No to Corruption' to 'Yes to corruption, adding that an institution which was established to eliminate corruption has itself become a problem.
Responding to the bench's query as to why after passage of nine months in the case in hand, the NAB failed to file a reference, chairman NAB submitted that probe into white-collar crime always takes time. Farooq H Naik, counsel for Langov submitted that accused is a favourite child of law, saying his client being advisor had nothing to do with the violation of rules committed in the ministry. He further pleaded that secretary of the ministry is responsible for departmental rules and regulations, adding that the advisor can't be held responsible for violations of departmental rules.
Naik cited that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had been granted bail in a case by the apex court on medical grounds, saying his client is also sick but no concession is being granted to him on medical grounds under Article 25 of the Constitution. He argued that every citizen is equal before law and entitled to equal protection of law.
Later, dismissing the bail plea of Langov, the bench observed that the bench will announce a detailed verdict in the current case after examining the effects of delay by the NAB in filing reference in the matter.