ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal has said the bureau has received about 3,99,861 complaints from individuals and private/public organizations since its inception.
During this period, NAB authorized 13,180 complaint verification, 8,587 inquiries, 4,124 investigations and filed 3,401 corruption references in respective accountability courts.
Chairing a meeting here at NAB headquarters, he said, currently, 1,210 corruption references are under trial in respective Accountability courts across the country.
The figures of complaints, inquiries and investigations are almost doubled as compared to same period of 2017 to 2018. The comparative figures for the latest one year are indicative of hard work being put in by all ranks of NAB staff in an atmosphere of renewed energy and dynamism, where fight against corruption is being taken as a national duty.
Increase in the number of complaints also reflects enhanced public trusted in the NAB, he added.
The Chairman said since inception, one of NAB’s major achievements has been recovery of around Rs. 297 billion of ill-gotten money which was deposited in national exchequer.
NAB’s operational methodology comprises of complaint verification, inquiry and investigation. Starting from the year 2017 which can be called basically a year of reinvigoration, we have moved with new zeal and effort.
He said corruption is mother of all evils as it undermines economic development and deprives deserving persons of their due right.
Justice Javed said Pakistan was committed to United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in eradicating corruption in all its manifestations by implementing its articles through three pronged Anti Corruption Strategy of Awareness, Prevention and Enforcement.
The Chairman said NAB’s prime focus is on cases of cheating public at large by fraudulent financial companies, bank frauds, willful bank loan defaults, misuse of authority and embezzlement of state funds by government servants etc.
He said NAB has established its first Forensic Science Lab (FSL) in Rawalpindi which has facilities of Digital Forensics, Questioned Documents and Fingerprint Analysis.
As per report of Transparency International (TI), Pakistan’s ranking in Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has improved, adding that Pakistan was considering role model in South Asian countries in its efforts against corruption.
He said to create awareness against ill effects of corruption among the youth, NAB has established over 50,000 Character Building Societies (CBSs) in universities/colleges.
The chairman said NAB intends to establish its own Anti-Corruption Academy at Islamabad equipped with modern technology, catering capacity building needs of investigation officers/prosecutors to investigate white collar crimes etc.
