NAB chairperson said 18 committees had been established in collaboration with government departments to improve performance. PHOTO: FILE
The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) recoveries through voluntarily return and plea bargain amounted to Rs3.125 billion in 2013, and the bureau’s prosecution efforts resulted in 65 per cent convictions last year, The Express Tribune has learnt.
According to a NAB report, the Awareness and Prevention Division processed projects and procurements worth Rs220 billion during the year.
NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said that corruption existed in all societies but was more common in some, according to a NAB report. He said NAB was working with the bureaucracy to restructure rules to prevent corruption in planned procurements and projects.
He said 18 committees had been established in collaboration with government departments to improve performance.
The report stated that since its inception the bureau had recovered Rs247.331 billion in various cases, ranging from willful default to misuse of authority by public office holders and private citizens.
The National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) was created by NAB in 2002 through a consultative and participatory process, according to the report.
Enforcement
In 2013, NAB received 18,607 complaints in addition to a backlog of 1,464. Out of these 18,892 complaints had been processed and as many as 1,179 complaints remained pending on December 31, 2013.
In 2013, the bureau authorised 124 new investigations, reaching a total of 370 with a backlog of 246. As many as 34 investigations were finalised and 95 investigations were converted into references. The remaining 241 are still being processed.
On NAB’s recommendation, the names of 157 people were forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior for placement on the Exit Control List (ECL). Another 80 names have been removed from the ECL after disposing of the cases.
Prosecution
In 2013, the accountability courts decided 99 cases. In 53 cases, the accused were convicted, and in 29 cases the accused were acquitted. As many as 15 cases were closed by the accountability courts due to lack of evidence. One case was quashed and another withdrawn by the bureau.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2014.
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Who were convicted ? none I think are from high profile cases ? it is also suggested to amend NAB rules with regard to voluntary return as such law does not make people afraid to try one more time, if he gets an opportunity. The law should be such that it deters the accused not to repeat the offense & it also serves as an deterrence to others who might get carried away due to such a lacunae in NAB rule.....
So if you get caught you plea bargain and then pay back some of the money. Isn`t that an incentive for corruption?