Overview: Rs4b recovered by NAB in last 16 years

Corruption remains scourge of K-P, despite progress

PESHAWAR: Once its claws are dug in, corruption is a menace that is difficult to knock off its perch. New anti-corruption bodies may have emerged, but the practice continues from police constables and government hospital paramedics to top-tier politicians and civil servants.

Nonetheless, the National Accountability Bureau has recovered Rs4 billion over the last 16 years in K-P – Rs3.25 billion has been deposited over the last 20 months in the exchequer. Regardless, corruption is deep-rooted and old habits, famously, die hard.

In K-P, the PTI government’s coming into power coincided with slogans of change and the eradication of corruption. The practice is less under the current regime compared to previous governments, but a corruption-free administration remains a distant dream.

Perhaps the fault lies in PTI’s strategy of asking government departments to put their own house in order rather than well-thought-out reforms on the macro level. The end product is a mixed one.

According to figures with The Express Tribune, NAB received 33,000 complaints in the last 16 years, of which 1,341 reached an enquiry stage and 596 FIRs were registered. Around 675 people were arrested during this period, of which 250 were from K-P alone in the last 20 months.

High cost, high returns

From the amount of Rs265 billion deposited by NAB to the national exchequer, Rs29 billion came in the form of fines and K-P contributed Rs2.5 billion to these penalties. The money deposited cost NAB at least Rs10 billion.

Although many find the plea bargain and voluntary return system controversial, NAB defends it by saying the operation is aimed at recovering looted money. Talking to The Express Tribune, a NAB official says the practice is highly effective.



“Let’s consider the modaraba cases in which billions have been looted from the general public. If you convict a person or fine him, what will the public get?" The NAB official added, "When we recover the money, it is distributed equally to the victims.” The official adds the plea bargain is also a sentence in its own way, pointing out the official is disqualified from holding public office for 10 years.

Masoom’s case

Falling prey to NAB recently was former adviser to chief minister Syed Masoom Shah Bacha whose plea bargain was approved at Rs258 million in addition to the recovery of 4.5 kilogrammes of gold. Meanwhile, enquiries are under way against Arbab Alamgir and his wife Asma Alamgir as well as former chief minister Amir Haider Hoti.

ACE-ing it

Another body that has been active is the Anti-Corruption Establishment, which claims a recovery of Rs1.23 billion in 2015, including Rs380 million in cash and Rs850 million worth of government property. It has taken action against 785 suspects including 524 government employees.

Meanwhile, the Ehtesab Commission is third on the list of these watchdogs. Chief Minister Pervez Khattak claims the role of this commission is completely different from NAB as the former will not be involved in recovery. According to the chief minister, the EC will instead punish those involved in corrupt practices.

Among some of its recent actions, the EC arrested former minister for mines and minerals Ziaullah Afridi and other senior officials of the same department.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th,  2015.