Fighting graft: Rs4 billion recovered last year, says NAB

Number of recoveries, cases and investigations doubled in 2014 as compared to 2013


Our Correspondent July 05, 2015
Number of recoveries, cases and investigations doubled in 2014 as compared to 2013. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recovered as much as Rs4 billion last year under the chairmanship of Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, the anti-corruption watchdog said on Saturday.

According to a press release, the bureau received 19,816 complaints, authorised 767 inquiries, converted 276 investigations into cases and filed 152 references in the accountability court in 2014, “something that has never happened in the history of NAB.”

The figures of complaints, inquiries and investigations are almost double compared to those of 2014, it said. “The numbers speak of the hard work being put in by all ranks of NAB staff in an atmosphere of renewed energy and dynamism, where the fight against corruption is being taken as a national duty,” it added.

According to the NAB release, the increase in the number of complaints reflects enhanced public trust in the watchdog. It cited a PILDAT report which said 42% of the country’s people trust NAB, as opposed to 30% for police and 29% for other government officials. Transparency International also improved Pakistan’s ranking on its Corruption Perception Index, moving it from 175 to 126.

NAB has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to create awareness among the youth of the ill effects of corruption, the press release said. NAB and HEC have helped establish more than 4,019 ‘character building societies’ in universities, colleges and schools across the country over the past year, it added.

The bureau, under Qamar Zaman Chaudhry’s leadership, has also initiated an internal accountability drive to weed out inefficient and unscrupulous officers, according to the release. A special integrity management cell has been set up at the NAB headquarters for this purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2015.

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