NAB Lahore recovers Rs31.231 bn in 22 months

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore has recovered maximum Rs 31.231 billion out of a total of Rs 71 billion directly and indirectly from the corrupt elements during the last 22 months, said spokesman of the bureau.

In a press statement, he said NAB Rawalpindi has recovered Rs14.653 billion, NAB Karachi Rs 10.861 billion, NAB Sukkur Rs 10.656 billion, NAB Multan Rs 2.5 billion, NAB Balochistan Rs 0.949 billion, NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs 0.5 billion and NAB Gilgit-Baltistan has recovered Rs 0.014 billion directly or indirectly from the corrupt elements during the said period and deposited in the national exchequer.

The bureau has filed 1,219 corruption references having corruption volume of Rs 900 billion in various accountability courts. NAB has received 43,000 applications in Mudarba/ Musharka references.

The bureau has so far apprehended 44 suspects besides recovering Rs 616 million, 6,000 Kanal land,10 houses, 12 precious vehicles and 32 references have also been filed in different accountability courts so that the looted amount could be recovered from the suspects and returned to the affectees.

NAB has also returned the amount to people by different housing societies. He said the incumbent chairman of NAB has introduced a number of reforms including National Anti Corruption Strategy, quality grading system for evaluating the annual performance of NAB officers, and zero tolerance policy against corruption by declaring elimination of corruption as his priority.

The new investigative officers were being trained in Police College, Sihala, he said, adding that NAB has made an effective monitoring and evaluation system which improved overall working of the bureau.

Investigation and prosecution divisions have been made more effective with the induction of new law officers. Due to training and value addition, the conviction ratio of NAB was 70 percent.