Daily Times

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal has said that corruption is a curse.

NAB was established in 1999 to eradicate corruption owing to bad effects on country’s economy and recover the looted amount and deposit in the national exchequer and punish the corrupt elements. NAB has deposited Rs 178 billion directly and indirectly in the national exchequer.

Addressing the merit distribution ceremony among employees who showed outstanding performance, he said the ceremony is held to encourage the employees on giving outstanding performance. NAB is upholding merit in all its departments.

Certificates are being distributed on merit. NAB officers are playing important role in improving the performance of bureau. NAB has been transformed in to a vibrant institute owing to sheer hard work and dedication of its employees. NAB officers will continue their duties to fulfill expectations of the employees.

Chairman NAB immediately after taking over had transformed the bureau into a vibrant institute.

Chairman said no browbeating, threat or coercion can’t work in the bureau.

NAB considers case and not the face. Everyone no matter how powerful would have to be made accountable. World leading institutions including PILDAT, Transparency International and World Economic Forum has lauded the performance of NAB. Eradication of corruption taking mega corruption cases to logical conclusion is priority of NAB.

He said NAB has no affiliation with any individual, group or political party but has only affiliation with the country.

He said NAB has no personal grudge with anyone and there is no need to file cases against anyone. Cases are framed only after availability of concrete evidence and granting bail is authority of the courts however a cases does not close by getting bail.

This is temporary relief. Conviction ratio in NAB cases is over 70 percent. Chairman said that taxation cases are being referred to Federal Board of Revenue for the last three years. A special Cell headed by Director General has already been established. NAB has taken no action which prompts bureaucracy to stop working or inflicting any losses to economy. NAB always take action in light of available evidence and facts. No compromise will be made in upholding law. Corrupt will be made answerable at all costs.

NAB in last two years has recovered Rs 178 billion directly or indirectly and deposited in national exchequer. While a sum of Rs 328 billion has been recovered by bureau since inception.

Which is a significant achievement.

He said in the last two years NAB Lahore has recovered Rs36.333 billion, Karachi Rs 50 billion, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs0.363 Bln, Balochistan Rs0.646 billion, Rawalpindi Rs 50 billion, Sukkur Rs 2.899 billion and Multan bureau has recovered Rs 8.226 billion from corrupt elements and deposited in the national exchequer.

He said corruption is a curse and root cause of all ills. Corruption ruins country’s economy and corruption has no respect in society.

Justice Javed Iqbal has said that the bureau is pursuing the policy of Accountability for All. Eradication of corruption is priority of Bureau. Bureau is pursuing the policy of self-accountability, zero tolerance was its priority. NAB has devised anti-corruption strategy which is accepted as most effective strategy against the corruption. NAB has introduced many new reforms expanded the purview of bureau across the country. Due to effective measures taken , eradication of corruption had become voice of the whole nation.

The bureau had headquarters in Islamabad while 8 bureaus are also performing their duties in Rawalpindi, Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, Sukkur, Multan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

A total of 1,260 corruption references having accumulated value of Rs 943 billion were still in different Accountability courts. Director General NAB headquarters Hasnain Ahmed also spoke on the occasion. Deputy Chairman NAB Hussain Asghar, Director General , NAB , Operations Syed Zahid Shah were also present. At the end, merit certificates were distributed among persons on showing outstanding performance.