ISLAMABAD: Minister for Justice and Law Dr Farough Naseem has announced introduction of Whistleblower Protection Bill through which whistleblowers will receive 20 per cent of the recovered money and assets from corrupt people.
“This law will invite countrymen to identify the corrupt, and whistleblowers will get 20 percent of the ill-gotten money and assets recovered from such people,” he said while addressing a press conference. “The names of whistleblowers will be kept a secret.”
According to Naseem, the draft for this bill is ready and will be presented in parliament and provincial legislatures soon. “The purpose of this bill is to ensure protection for people who point out corruption to the relevant authorities,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention that a similar legislation was passed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly during the previous tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
On Sept 19, 2016, the KP Assembly enacted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Act, 2016.
The law minister also said an impartial commission would be set up to look into the complaints pertaining to corruption. Commission chairman would be selected through a proper procedure, he added.
Naseem invited political parties for their input, saying they should be on the same page in order to clamp down on corruption.
“The commission will screen complaints which may later be forwarded to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission Pakistan (SECP),” the minister said.
