Daily Times

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal on Wednesday said that NAB has been striving hard to ensure complete implementation of rule of law.

He stated that it has been among top priorities of the NAB to ensure compensation for looted hard-earned money of all affectees, adding that NAB itself doesn’t believe in projection of any act.

He expressed these views during his address after distributing cheques worth Rs 760 million among 3,000 affectees of Model Housing Enclave Project and Ferozepur Housing Society.

The chairman said that it is for first time in the history that the NAB has distributed a huge amount of Rs 2.5 billion, recovered from the accused through holding Plea Bargain (PB) within only two years among the affectees in any single housing society scandal.

He said that some elements tried to hatch propaganda against the NAB but the Bureau despite of such propagandas would continue to work completely on merit, adding that criticism only for sake of criticism is not justified as there should always be constructive criticism for improvement.

He said that NAB itself has to undergo accountability process as soon as arresting an accused, which is being produced before the court where on the basis of evidences, the remand is being granted. He added that in the cases pertaining to white collar crimes, the court doesn’t issue 90-day remand, simultaneously but the remand is granted after production of satisfactory evidences in the court.

Appreciating the performance of NAB Lahore under the supervision of DG NAB Lahore, the Justice Javed Iqbal said that distribution of millions of rupees among affectees, after recovering from the culprits in short span of merely two years is laudable.

He said that the joy and happiness at the faces of affectees has proved that NAB Officers and officials are serving the Nation by utilizing their energies for returning hard earned money to the affectees, adding that, during last two years, another amount of Rs1.32 billion is also returned to the affectees of other housing society namely Model Housing Enclave is also a pride for NAB Lahore.

Regarding the complaints of business community, the Chairman NAB said that no businessman in the country, ever, had to face problems due to NAB, adding that the stock exchange could not make a positive trend if the NAB is creating problems for business community.

He said that the difference between NAB’s custody and judicial custody should be understood as it was also highly propagated about alleged deaths in NAB’s custody which is not so.

The NAB has put in place special measures to eliminate corruption from mother land without any discrimination and such steps would remain continue, he maintained.

Earlier, during his visit to NAB Lahore, the Combined Investigations Teams (CITs) led by DG NAB Lahore briefed him pertaining to the mega corruption cases.