The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) may be compelled to drop a significant number of corruption cases following a recent legal amendment that has effectively raised its financial jurisdiction threshold to around Rs. 800 million.

Under the previous framework, NAB could take up cases involving a minimum alleged corruption of Rs. 500 million. However, an amendment to the National Accountability Ordinance has linked this threshold to inflation, with annual adjustments based on data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics from July 2022 onwards.

As a result of cumulative inflation, the effective threshold has now increased to nearly Rs. 800 million, according to a report published in a national daily. This development places a number of ongoing inquiries, investigations, and court references below NAB’s jurisdiction.

The change could lead to the withdrawal or closure of several cases currently under process, as they no longer meet the revised financial criteria. Analysts say the amendment may significantly reduce the number of cases the bureau is able to pursue.

The move has also sparked concern among observers, particularly as NAB had earlier proposed lowering the threshold to Rs. 300 million in an effort to expand its scope. Instead, the revised mechanism has raised the limit through inflation adjustments, a step critics argue could shield a larger number of corruption cases from scrutiny.

Officials said NAB has yet to issue an official statement clarifying the revised threshold or outlining its implications for ongoing cases.