National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal on Monday said the national graft-buster’s anti-corruption strategy has started yielding ‘excellent’ results.
He made the observation while presiding over a meeting to review progress on the decisions taken by the bureau leadership. The meeting was attended by NAB’s deputy chairman, prosecutor general accountability, DG operations, DG NAB Rawalpindi and other senior officers including all DGs of regional bureaus via video link at the NAB headquarters.
The chairman added that the country’s top anti-graft body has prescribed “efficient, effective and expeditious” disposal of white-collar crime cases, putting a maximum limit of 10 months.
Talking about the development made in the bureau, he said that NAB has established a state-of-the-art forensic science lab in Islamabad.
Iqbal directed that performance review of NAB headquarters and all the regional bureaus be conducted at the end of the year at given criteria under a quantified grading system in order to further improve the performance of officers/officials of NAB.
“NAB is an apex anti-corruption organisation of the country, which has been assigned a gigantic task of eradication of corruption and to recover looted money from corrupt elements,” he said.
Taking mega corruption cases/white collar crime cases to a logical conclusion is the topmost priority of NAB, he said, adding that the anti-corruption watchdog believes in conducting the inquiries and investigations of white-collar crimes on scientific lines that too after collecting solid evidence as per law.
Moreover, the DG operations said that NAB had filed 97 corruption references in different accountability courts, while 57 references had been taken to a logical conclusion – out of the total 179 mega corruption cases. Currently, he added 10 inquiries and 15 investigations are under process.
A comprehensive yearly training plan for 2020 was approved in order to enhance capacity building of NAB officers/officials, the DG operations said, adding that training cells were created at all regional levels as primarily responsible to liaise and carry out the planned activities in their respective regional bureaus in coordination with the T&R Division at NAB Headquarters.
After reviewing the statistics, NAB Chairman Iqbal said the number of complaints, inquiries and investigations has increased as compared to the same period of 2019-2020.
“The comparative figures of previous two years are indicative of the hard work being put in by all ranks of NAB officers/officials in an atmosphere of renewed energy and dynamism, where the fight against corruption is being taken as a national duty. An increase in the number of complaints also reflects enhanced public trust in the NAB,” he added.
Serious efforts to combat corruption are being made, Iqbal said and directed all officers to demonstrate transparency as per law in the discharge of their national duties.
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