‘Money sent abroad through corrupt means to be brought back’

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal Monday said the NAB was taking concrete measures to stop money laundering.

Chairing a meeting of Prosecution Division, Operation Division, senior officers including director generals of regional bureaus of the NAB via video link, he said, “The money stashed abroad through corrupt means would be taken back to the country as per law.”

Speaking on the occasion, chairman NAB said, “We are formulating effective policies to curb money laundering,” adding that initiatives would be taken on the priority basis to recover the looted wealth which had been transferred through money laundering to foreign banks.

The chairman NAB said taking mega-corruption cases and white collar crimes to logical conclusion is top most priority of NAB. “NAB strongly believes in conducting the investigations of white collar crimes on scientific lines that too after collecting complete evidence as per law of the land. Corruption has become malaise, which should be rooted out,” he added.

He said according to recent Gillani and Gallup survey, 59 percent people expressed their confidence over the performance of NAB whereas Pakistan has come to 107th position over corruption index of International Economic Forum.

He said the NAB has improved its overall workings with the help of anti-corruption strategy. He said the NAB has fixed a period of 10 months to finish the case right from conducting complaint verification to filing a reference. “Right now 1210 corruption references involving Rs900 billion are under trial in various respected accountability courts,” he said.

He said that NAB has deposited record Rs297 billion in national exchequer after recovering from the corrupt elements. Corruption is the main hurdle in country’s economic progress and prosperity. “The NAB has established a separate cell for resolving issues of business community,” he said.

He said that investigations of fake housing/cooperative societies would be taken to

ogical conclusion. NAB had filed a reference against Mufti Ehsan in an accountability court Islamabad on looting people in Muzarba scandal. He said the accountability court had awarded Mufti Ehsan ten years imprisonment and Rs9 billion fine in Muzarba case.

Likewise, he said the NAB had also filed another corruption reference in accountability court against Ghulam Rasool Ayubi on looting people. “The court awarded 10 years imprisonment and Rs3.7 billion fine to the culprit.” He said the NAB is trying its utmost to apprehend 34 suspects involved in Muzarba/Musharka scandals and bring back the absconders with the help of Interpol.