NAB & Accountability Courts
Governing law: National Accountability Ordinance, 1999
Call-up notices and inquiries, references before the Accountability Courts, bail before the High Court, and plea-bargain and voluntary-return proceedings.
Inquiries, references and accountability courts
Representation in NAB call-up notices, inquiries and references before the Accountability Courts, and in Anti-Corruption Establishment inquiries and trials before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption, with bail before the Lahore High Court.
Overview
An accountability case begins long before a court is involved. A call-up notice from NAB or a summons from the Anti-Corruption Establishment is the point at which the record is made: what is said, what is produced, and what is left unexplained follows the case to trial. Fortis Legal Partners advises public servants, contractors, businesspeople and their families from the first notice, and represents them in inquiries, investigations, references and trials.
We appear before the Accountability Courts under the National Accountability Ordinance and before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, seek bail before the Lahore High Court, respond to asset-freezing orders, and advise on plea bargain and voluntary return where that is the client's informed choice. The departmental inquiry that usually runs in parallel is handled by the same advocate.
Who this is for
- Public servants who have received a NAB call-up notice or ACE summons
- Contractors and suppliers named in procurement inquiries
- Families of persons arrested by NAB or the Anti-Corruption Establishment
- Anyone whose bank accounts or property have been frozen in an accountability matter
Typical matters
- Responses to NAB call-up notices and appearance in inquiries and investigations
- Bail before the Accountability Court and the Lahore High Court
- Defence of references before the Accountability Courts
- Anti-Corruption Establishment inquiries and FIRs under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947
- Trials before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption
- Challenges to freezing orders and restoration of property
- Plea bargain and voluntary return applications
- Parallel departmental and service proceedings
Statutes and rules
- National Accountability Ordinance, 1999
- Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947
- Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment Ordinance, 1961 and Rules, 2014
- Pakistan Penal Code sections 161 to 165-A and 409
What the process looks like
- 1
The notice
We advise before you appear: what the notice covers, what to take, and how the statement will be used.
- 2
Inquiry and investigation
Written responses with documents, representation at each appearance and an application for bail where arrest is a risk.
- 3
Reference or challan
Once a reference or challan is filed, the defence is built on the record made in the inquiry and the prosecution's own documents.
- 4
Trial and appeal
Cross-examination, defence evidence and arguments; appeals before the Lahore High Court.
Where these matters are heard
Anti-Corruption Establishment & Special Judge Anti-Corruption
Governing law: Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 and Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment Rules
Inquiries by the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment, FIRs under the Prevention of Corruption Act, bail and trials before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption, and the departmental proceedings that usually run alongside.
Lahore High Court
Governing law: Article 199 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973
Constitutional (writ) petitions under Article 199, civil and criminal appeals and revisions, bail before the High Court, and references from tax and customs tribunals. Both founding partners have been Advocates of the High Court since 2023.
Punjab & Federal Service Tribunals
Governing law: Punjab Service Tribunals Act, 1974 and Service Tribunals Act, 1973
Departmental appeals and service appeals on dismissal, removal, compulsory retirement, promotion, seniority, transfer and pension for civil servants of the province and the federation.
Questions clients ask
Generally yes, and failing to appear can itself be used against you. You are entitled to be accompanied by counsel and to submit a written reply with documents. Preparation before the appearance matters more than anything said on the day.
Ask this on WhatsAppFollowing amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance, Accountability Courts can grant bail, and the Lahore High Court continues to exercise its constitutional jurisdiction. The grounds are similar to ordinary criminal bail but the record of the inquiry is scrutinised closely.
Ask this on WhatsAppNAB is a federal body acting under the National Accountability Ordinance, with references tried by Accountability Courts. The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment is provincial, investigates offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Penal Code, and its cases are tried by Special Judges Anti-Corruption.
Ask this on WhatsAppHandled by
Founding Partner · Advocate High Court
Muhammad Messam Haidery
Criminal, anti-terrorism, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and cyber crime advocate in Lahore
Punjab Bar Council · Enrolment No. 91220
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Nothing on this page is legal advice and no representation is made as to the outcome of any matter.
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