Fighting corruption: NAB looking to sign agreement with Malaysia

Details of MoU are being worked out, expected to be signed later this year

ISLAMABAD: As part of its endeavour to enhance bilateral cooperation with other on fighting corruption, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is mulling to sign an agreement with Malaysia.

Moreover, an internal accountability system had seen 23 officers dismissed.

This was disclosed by NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry while chairing a meeting at the accountability bodies’ headquarters, a statement read on Wednesday.

Chaudhry said that NAB had been enhancing bilateral cooperation and had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China to streamline and structure cooperation in the fields of anti-corruption. In the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, this cooperation will further boost confidence in the projects undertaken in Pakistan, he said.

Moreover, the NAB chief disclosed that the authority had proposed to sing another MoU with Malaysia later this year. Details of the agreement are currently being worked out.

During the meeting, Chaudhry said that eradication of corruption was the top priority of NAB. He added that NAB had chalked out a comprehensive and proactive National Anti-Corruption Strategy for awareness, prevention, and enforcement. In this regard, the bureau had in the past two and a half years recovered Rs45 billion in looted money and deposited it in the national exchequer.

Chaudhry added that NAB’s prime focus is on fraudulent financial companies that cheat the public, bank frauds, wilful bank loan defaults, misuse of authority and embezzlement of state funds by government servants etc.

Since NAB’s inception, it had recovered around Rs285 billion in ill-gotten money which was deposited in the national exchequer.

Moreover, Chaudhry said that NAB’s operational methodology comprises of complaint verification, inquiry, and investigation. He added that the bureau’s NAB’s officers need to follow a strict code of conduct and SOPs and merit according to law.

Through detailed introspection and analysis of organisational weaknesses, an overhaul of procedures and business processes; all pillars of the organisation such as operations, prosecution, human resource development and awareness and prevention have been reactivated.

NAB has also undertaken a number of strategic initiatives especially to monitor the performance of all regional bureaus and the headquarters annually. In this regard, an internal accountability mechanism (IAM) system was introduced under which 23 officers were dismissed by NAB to date.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2017.