Corruption cancer needs surgery: NAB chief

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal said eradication of corruption is bureau's topmost priority as the cancer of corruption could only be rooted out through surgery.

“The law will take its own course of action for punishing the looters of billions of rupee and to recover looted money from them and deposit it in the national exchequer as per law,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

Justice (R) Javed Iqbal said the NAB is determined to take money laundering and mega corruption white collar crimes cases to their logical conclusion as per law and all resources are being utilised to nab proclaimed offenders and outlaws of illegal housing societies including Mudarba cases. He said the operation and prosecution divisions of NAB had already been directed to file petitions of early hearing for disposal of about 1,230 corruption references under trial in various respected accountability courts of the country.

The NAB chairman said that under trial corruption references in respected accountability courts were of about Rs943 billion, so that the huge money could be recovered from corrupt elements. He said that NAB was investigating the cases of money laundering and other corruption cases transparently and in professional manner on merit as per law.

He said that NAB is determined to root out corruption with renewed vigour and determination. “NAB officers are fighting against corruption while considering it their national duty,” he said. He said the NAB was working hard to make the country corruption free. “The performance of NAB has been lauded by reputed organisations including Transparency International, World Economic Forum, Mashal Pakistan and PILDAT.

He said NAB has introduced the mechanism of Combined Investigation Team (CIT) comprising two investigation officers, one each legal and financial consultant, which works under the supervision of director and DG concerned in order to benefit from collective wisdom,” he said.

He said the NAB had established a Forensic Science Laboratory, which improves the quality and standards of inquiries and investigations. “The laboratory provides services of analysing digital forensic, question documents and finger prints,” he said.

He said that NAB is the only institution in the world which has inked MoU with China and a MoU had also been signed with Higher Education Commission (HEC) for disseminating implications of corruption among youth. Pakistan is the first chairman of Saarc Anti-Corruption Forum.

He said the NAB ordinance entrusted NAB the responsibilities of eradication of corruption and to recover looted money from corrupt elements. “The NAB has so far recovered Rs466 billion and deposited the amount into national exchequer,” he said. He said the conviction ratio of NAB is 68.8 percent which is the best as comparing to other such institutions which is pride for NAB.