NAB recovers 45 times operational costs

Graft buster’s actions lead to significant recoveries, improved transparency and reform

ISLAMABAD:

Since its inception in the last months of 1999, NAB has recovered 45 times the amount it has spent on its operations in all these years.

According to statistics available to The Express Tribune, from 1999 to 2024, NAB took action on a total of 558,819 complaints of corruption.

After reviewing these complaints, NAB initiated 10,839 inquiries, 4,784 of which were later converted into investigations. The graft buster finally filed 3,809 references in accountability courts at the conclusion of these investigations.

From 1999 to 2024, NAB directly recovered Rs99.764 billion and indirectly recovered Rs2,233.602 billion, while also securing court-imposed fines amounting to Rs57.768 billion. In total, NAB recovered Rs2,391.134 billion.

During this period, a total budget of Rs56.382 billion was allocated to NAB, while Rs52.871 billion was spent, resulting in budget savings of Rs3.511 billion. On average, NAB incurred annual expenses of Rs2.115 billion, recovering 45 times more than its expenditures.

Additionally, NAB’s interventions and efforts saved $10 billion in the Reko Diq case. According to a Transparency International survey, NAB’s performance has improved over the past few years, with Pakistan’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking dropping from 140 to 133.

NAB has often been criticized for its alleged use as a tool for political victimization. Some politicians have even demanded its disbanding. However, the accountability watchdog is now reaching out to those unjustly treated by it in the past and has implemented a mechanism to empower officers in the Punjab Civil Secretariat to make decisions without fear.

NAB was created by former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf months after the ouster of the second PML-N government in a military coup. The grafter buster was formed with the mandate to eliminate corruption through a holistic approach encompassing enforcement, prevention, and awareness.

Over the years, NAB has launched numerous investigations into cases of financial malpractice, fraud, and graft, aiming to hold public officials and private individuals accountable. It is often criticized for its emphasis on plea bargain as a means to recover looted money.