NAB won’t serve anyone’s political ambitions

Accountability body’s chairman warns officers against squandering funds

The new chief of the apex anti-corruption body has said that the body was not set up to serve political interests and that all references should be completed within the prescribed time while following principles of merit and transparency.

In a statement released on Sunday, National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has directed that NAB’s funds should not be squandered and if anyone is found guilty of the transgression, they would face strict disciplinary action.

“Resources would be utilised in a proper way by stopping unnecessary spending,” he said.

Having served as the chief of several key judicial instructions including the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court, acting chief justice of the Supreme Court,  chairman of the Abbottabad Commission and the head of the Commission on Missing People, Justice Iqbal said that if officers work hard, per law and on modern scientific lines, then there is no reason why the guilty would escape punishments in courts.

To ensure merit is followed in addressing complaints, the NAB chief has sought a report of inquiries and investigations about private housing societies to ascertain for how long have inquiries and investigations against private housing societies been pending, which inquiries were stopped and reopened.

Moreover, he would check each reference personally.

Moreover, he directed all the directors general of NAB to accord respect to visitors since until someone was not declared as an offender, they are innocent and it is necessary to value their self-respect.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2017.