IAACA moot in China: NAB chairman speaks of successes in anti-graft fight
Qamar Zaman Chaudhry says bureau completed 6,300 inquiries
Qamar Zaman Chaudhry says bureau completed 6,300 inquiries. PHOTO: REUTERS
TIANGING (CHINA):
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) provided a global legal foundation to pool efforts and forge synergies to combat corruption based on its principles, Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said on Wednesday.
He was addressing as guest of honor at the ninth annual conference and general meeting of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) at Tianging, China.
According to him, Pakistan pledged its support to fight corruption at every level.
Chaudhry said that concerted efforts were required at national, regional and global levels to eradicate this menace, which affected all nations “though in varying degrees”.
Pakistan, he said, overwhelmingly supported the adoption by the United Nations of the post-2015 development agenda, including Sustainable Development Goals. “An effective follow-up on this agenda will boost the ongoing global efforts to fight corruption,” he said.
He said that Pakistan was firmly committed to preventing and fighting corruption in all its forms. “Ever since the ratification of the UNCAC, Pakistan has been a constructive partner of the global community in furthering the objectives of the Convention. We have actively participated in the work of the Conference and its subsidiary bodies.”
He said that over the past 16 years, NAB received about 309,000 complaints from individuals and private/public organizations, adding that during the same period, it completed 6,300 inquiries, of which 56 percent matured into formal investigation and more than 80 percent investigations were taken to the stage of prosecution in courts of law.
Of 1,762 decided cases, “we achieved convictions in 889 cases, which is a conviction rate of about 51 percent, which speaks for itself”, he said.
“Since NAB’s inception, one of our major achievements has been the recovery of around Rs275.4 billion of ill-gotten money.”
“We are in the process of organizing a regional conference of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries for promoting cooperation in anti-corruption effort. A Whistle Blower Law has been given go-ahead by the federal Cabinet for enactment by the Parliament.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2016.
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) provided a global legal foundation to pool efforts and forge synergies to combat corruption based on its principles, Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said on Wednesday.
He was addressing as guest of honor at the ninth annual conference and general meeting of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) at Tianging, China.
According to him, Pakistan pledged its support to fight corruption at every level.
Chaudhry said that concerted efforts were required at national, regional and global levels to eradicate this menace, which affected all nations “though in varying degrees”.
Pakistan, he said, overwhelmingly supported the adoption by the United Nations of the post-2015 development agenda, including Sustainable Development Goals. “An effective follow-up on this agenda will boost the ongoing global efforts to fight corruption,” he said.
He said that Pakistan was firmly committed to preventing and fighting corruption in all its forms. “Ever since the ratification of the UNCAC, Pakistan has been a constructive partner of the global community in furthering the objectives of the Convention. We have actively participated in the work of the Conference and its subsidiary bodies.”
He said that over the past 16 years, NAB received about 309,000 complaints from individuals and private/public organizations, adding that during the same period, it completed 6,300 inquiries, of which 56 percent matured into formal investigation and more than 80 percent investigations were taken to the stage of prosecution in courts of law.
Of 1,762 decided cases, “we achieved convictions in 889 cases, which is a conviction rate of about 51 percent, which speaks for itself”, he said.
“Since NAB’s inception, one of our major achievements has been the recovery of around Rs275.4 billion of ill-gotten money.”
“We are in the process of organizing a regional conference of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries for promoting cooperation in anti-corruption effort. A Whistle Blower Law has been given go-ahead by the federal Cabinet for enactment by the Parliament.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2016.