Pakistan army to penalise tainted generals

[fatman17]

Pakistan army to penalise tainted generals

Press Trust Of India

Islamabad, March 20, 2011


Pakistan's military leadership has given a parliamentary panel an assurance that it will penalise generals involved in a Rs 1.8 billion corruption scandal in the National Logistics Cell, an army-run transportation company. Public Accounts Committee chief Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, also Leader of Opposition in parliament, said he had received assurances from the "highest levels" of the military command that the "defining decision will be taken in line with the PAC’s recommendations".

The Auditor General has reported that the NLC's former management, including three retired generals, illegally obtained commercial loans of Rs 4.8 billion and violated government regulations by investing billions of rupees in the stock market.

Probes by two inter-departmental panels concluded that the three retired generals and a civilian chief financial officer had violated government rules and instructions issued by former premier Shaukat Aziz.

Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani too ordered a separate inquiry into the matter last year after the PAC made public details of the corruption within the NLC.

The PAC has recommended administrative action against the retired generals and efforts to recover the money in the corruption scandal.

An official involved in the inquiry told The Express Tribune newspaper that the military leaders at the General Headquarters had given a commitment to take action against officials involved in the scam but express their inability to recover the money.

The General Headquarters might instead impose other unspecified penalties, the official said.

 

[araz]

It is not the task of the army high command to recover the money. There shouuld be appropriate enquiry and the government should confiscate all their property and other assetts and auction it to recover the money. However this will set a trend which even the government is afraid of and therefore nothing is likely to happen.
Wah Re pakistan
Araz

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

If the Army dismisses the accused from service and imprisons them - can they then be tried in civilian courts (since they would no longer be active military) and their assets seized to recover the money?

 

[American Eagle]

If such had happened within US General Officer ranks they would be subject to General Court Martial. If convicted by a military jury of their peers (at least equal if not superior to the accused in rank is the panel's qualifier) the then convicted fairly General Officer would be subject o forfeiture of all pay, allowances and would loose their military prison...and would then be subject to imprisonment in a military prison for the number of years the panel of their peers found appropriate under the book that controls all US military legal matters, the Uniform Code of Miliary Justice.

The court martial would hopefully be given hard evidence of the rupee or dollar value involved in each General's illicit actions and that amount plus penalties would be the appropriate amount for the military court to seek to recover. I am only "guessing" as I have been retired from the USAF since 1999 but I would again "assume" the military court in Pakistan could or should enter a case in civil court to seek to implement recovery of stolen value.

The issue of fining a convicted General Officer beyond his military pay and allowances then accrued but not yet spent or dispensed with could limit cost recovery...but perhaps the cross over from military court to civil court would open the door cleanly and clearly for balance of cost recovery?

QUESTION to any Paksitani military serving officers on this site: Do all the armed forces of Pakistan have an equivalent to our UCMJ, written down, as a in common standard to use to try all ranks for various offenses by various levels of court martials?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

QUESTION to any Paksitani military serving officers on this site: Do all the armed forces of Pakistan have an equivalent to our UCMJ, written down, as a in common standard to use to try all ranks for various offenses by various levels of court martials?

I am not a serving military officer, but I believe crimes in the Services are covered under the Pakistan Army Act, Pakistan Navy Act and Pakistan Air Force Act

UNHCR | Refworld | Pakistan Army Act 1952

And to answer my own earlier question - no double jeopardy.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

However this will set a trend which even the government is afraid of and therefore nothing is likely to happen.

Are you suggesting that the Government may in fact not want the Army to punish any guilty officers appropriately because that would put pressure on it to do the same with political leaders who are guilty of corruption?

Would the Government have any way to even influence a trial and punishment by the Army of such officers, without replacing certain key Army officers?

Of course if Gen. Kiyani himself is not too keen on this (which would be extremely disappointing given all the good work done so far to improve the Army's image), then it doesn't matter what the GoP thinks.

 

[American Eagle]

To clarify my earlier comments, trying General Officer(s) via Courts Martial depending on the level of court martial (in US UCMJ parliance I would think a General Courts Martial would be in order) and separately, seeking stolen funds recovery via a civil court suit do not involve the subject of double jeapordy. I am assuming that the courts martial would be a criminal action (ie, General Courts Martial), which differentiates it from a civil court (civilian) action.

I am not a serving military officer, but I believe crimes in the Services are covered under the Pakistan Army Act, Pakistan Navy Act and Pakistan Air Force Act

UNHCR | Refworld | Pakistan Army Act 1952

And to answer my own earlier question - no double jeopardy.

 

[Super Falcon]

well our army not the nationa friendly we built weapon which can destroy us ecnomically im anti armed forces of pakistan whatever they do are against our nation they always speak that we condemn drone attack well we dont pay them for condeming but acting if they can act and save us no reason we believe on them we should thrash every single man in armed forces

 

[Mujeeb47]

Recover the money.

 

[Mutee]

It's a joke don't believe anything they say plus they have zero creditability they are just like our corrupt politicians