ISLAMABAD: The government has slightly increased the allocation for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from Rs2.4 billion to 2.6bn in the budget for fiscal year 2018-19, mainly to meet its higher non-operational expenditure.
The allocation for NAB is part of the Rs7.7bn that the law and justice ministry will get during the next financial year.
The government has also marginally increased the bureau’s ‘operating budget’ meant for inquiries, investigations and prosecution from Rs977 million to Rs1bn.
In recent months, NAB has launched scores of investigations into corruption cases across the country on the directives of the Supreme Court. The bureau has also filed in the accountability court three corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who was disqualified by the apex court in the Panama Papers case in July last year.
The anti-graft watchdog has also opened a number of inquiries against politicians, especially those from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which may continue in the next financial year.
Of the total allocation for the law and justice division, Rs555m will go to the law and justice ministry as administration of public order. A major chunk Rs409m is for salary and allowances of the staff of the division.
A sum of Rs4bn is for ‘other expenditure of law and justice division’ – including Rs2bn for special courts and tribunals of the federal government for payment of salaries of judges and staff and other expenditure of accountability, antiterrorism, banking, special (FIA) and control of narcotics substances courts and tribunals.
