NAB to drop inquiries lacking evidence by end November

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau will either clear or make reference of all the long-time pending inquiries and investigations, including the 150 high profile cases recently presented before the apex court, by end November.
Credible NAB sources said the Bureau’s top management had decided to close all those inquiries and investigations which are pending since long and could not be converted into references because of lack of evidence.
The past days tactics of blackmailing people in the name of inquiries and investigations, it is said, will no more be the case in the NAB now.
The sources said there were a total of 1,150 inquiries and investigations pending since long with the NAB, out of which almost 74% inquiries and references had already been cleared by June end this year.
Review of the remaining 26 per cent, which include the list of 150 cases of alleged mega corruption, would be completed by end November this year. “All inquiries and investigations would be dropped with the exception of those cases where we have strong evidence to prosecute accused,” a source said.
These sources said that there was no point delaying the inquiries and investigations for years and years. Only those inquiries and investigations would be allowed to continue where the concerned director generals are confident of the level of evidence available with them.
Either make a reference or drop the inquiry/investigation is said to be the new rule for the NAB. This strategy has been evolved to save people named in pending inquiries and investigations from unnecessary harassment and vilification.
These sources clarify that even the list of 150 cases, which was recently presented by the NAB before the apex court and thus made headlines in the media, is under the review of the Bureau. It is indicated that possibly most of the inquiries and investigations in these cases would be dropped because of want of evidence.
The NAB sources said that although the list of 150 cases got an extraordinary focus of the media because of some big names involved, in fact those named could be innocent. It is explained that at the inquiry and investigation stages, the NAB collects evidence and probes those against whom complaints are received.