No discrimination to be made against anyone: NAB chief

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has said no discrimination will be made against anyone and corrupt elements will be dealt with an iron hand.

The NAB chief has decided not to make any compromise or bow before any pressure by standing firm to bring the country out of darkness of corruption. According to sources, the complaint verification process is a routine process in the country and whenever the complaint is received against any individual, the NAB starts the process as per its policy of not seeing the face but the case.

Sources said that during the process of the complaint verification, the NAB examines the complaint and summons the complainant and takes an affidavit as well as evidences of the complaint. On the basis of provision of evidences from the complainant, the concerned regional office of the NAB holds the scrutiny meeting chaired by director general of the concerned regional office to scrutinise the complaint and if prima facie it is established that it needs inquiry, then it recommends the inquiry.

During the process of inquiry, the statements of accused and complainant are recorded as per law. If during the inquiry, substantial evidence did not come to surface or evidence remains incomplete, then complaint verification is closed and subsequently media is informed.

When the NAB initiated the inquiry against the PTI Chairman Imran Khan in helicopter case, he welcomed the NAB action. Besides Imran Khan, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz Khattak and Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif appeared before the NAB.

Peshawar Bureau adds: The NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal was informed that cases against the PML-N leaders Amir Muqam, Captain (R) Safdar and district nazim Peshawar and others have been taken up.

A communiqué of the NAB KP said that the cases pertained to the accumulation of assets beyond means, illegal appointments in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission and Billion Tree Tsunami project scam. It said that there were cases against Member Provincial Assembly Malik Qasim Khan for accumulating wealth beyond means, embezzlement of funds in Khyber Teaching Hospital, illegal and unauthorised use of helicopter by the KP government, case of 34 offshore companies owned by the Saifullah family, cases about amassing assets beyond means against Arbab Alamgir and Asma Alamgir and the Malam Jabba land lease case.

The communiqué said the NAB chairman visited the regional office on Thursday and presided over a meeting to evaluate the performance of the anti-graft body. Appreciating the performance of Farmanullah Khan, Director General NAB KP, the chairman said the NAB officers should work within the domain of law.

At the meeting, he was briefed about the performance of KP NAB. The chairman was informed that the NAB KP received a total of 1,996 complaints in 2018 out of which 209 were verified after thorough examination. He was told that 68 inquiries and 10 investigations were carried out while 10 references were filed in the accountability court and 16 persons were arrested on corruption charges.