Resource crisis: NAB understaffed on mass contract expiry

Manpower crisis to affect hundreds of cases pending in superior courts.

ISLAMABAD:

Expiry of contracts of all departmental heads except one on Saturday left the beleaguered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) further understaffed.

The bureau has been working without a chairman since the removal of Syed Deedar Hussain Shah and prosecutor-general Irfan Qadir on the directions of the Supreme Court.

NAB is pursuing more than 800 cases in superior courts, but the government has so far not taken any step to assign officers to deal with the staff shortage.

The bureau’s management requested for additional staff to strengthen its operational wings several months ago, a senior NAB official told The Express Tribune.

“It is next to impossible for the prosecution and operational wings of the bureau to pursue hundreds of cases, involving embezzlement worth billions of rupees,” he said.

The fate of some 200 cases, involving embezzlement worth Rs110 billion, hang in the balance and appeals have been filed for these cases, he added. Most of the cases are in superior courts, including the cases of the Pakistan Steel Mills, Bank of Punjab, Bankers’ City and Islamic Investment.

“How can just three prosecutors pursue all of these cases … and initiate inquiries on complaints piling up day after day,” one of the prosecutors said.

Dr Asghar Rana, a senior NAB prosecutor, along with Raja Amir Abbas and Fauzia Zafar are currently pursuing cases.

The backlog of complaints registered with the bureau’s regional offices in 2010-11 is over 13,678.

The contracts of deputy chairman NAB Javed Zia Qazi, acting PG Akbar Tarar and director-general NAB Rawalpindi have already expired.

Additional prosecutor-general NAB, Rawalpindi, Jamil Awan’s contract will expire this week, while deputy prosecutor-general Sultan Mansoor’s contract will expire on May 8.

Meanwhile, DG NAB Rawalpindi Rana Zahid Mehmood is working without an extension. He also has the additional charge of director-general NAB, Lahore, which fell vacant when Maj (retd) Shahnawaz was repatriated to his parent department.

At present, director-general of the bureau’s administration wing Khurshid Alam is the only official regularly employed by NAB.

A senior NAB Peshawar official told The Express Tribune that his branch of the bureau was seriously understaffed.

“Around 400 cases are being heard by five NAB courts in the province, but we could barely attend the proceedings,” he said.

Other senior officials, including the secretary law and the bureau’s deputy chairman, refused to comment on the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2011.