Pending cases: NAB maps out plan to clear backlog

Directs all its regional entities to wind up the investigations nearing completion.

ISLAMABAD:

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has drawn up an action plan to dispose of cases pending primarily due to the absence of a guideline.

According to a press statement issued on Sunday, the accountability watchdog has directed all its regional entities to wind up the investigations nearing completion within the shortest possible time and pursue the cases in the courts proactively.

The statement said the plan was prepared on the directions of NAB chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, who has asked the concerned wings and regions to conclude within a month the inquiries and investigations on which 80% or more work has been done.

A circular communicated to the regional NAB offices has expressed concern that despite spending taxpayers’ money on the watchdog, it has been unable to decrease pendency rate – a fact which reflects low productivity of the organisation, the statement added.

The chairman had constituted a committee to look into the cases pending since the 1990s. The number of such cases was more than 300 that included cases against politicians, bureaucrats and people at large.

It has been learnt that the committee, after going through the available material, decided 211 such cases. The committee has sent its recommendations to the concerned departments of the bureau.

“Some cases of political nature had been pending since day one and the committee disposed them of after the evaluation,” a source said.

According to the new action plan, directions have been issued to fully implement the concept of combined investigation teams (CIT) and all the regional NAB [offices] will forward an updated list of ongoing inquiries with a timeline to NAB headquarters on the third of every successive month.

The NAB chairman has directed that scrutiny of the cases must be done with utmost care to filter out any mala fide complaints. He said NAB headquarters would carry out random checks of the cases at different stages, including complaints, inquiries, investigations and prosecution.

A three-month period is allocated for completion of inquiry, six months for investigations and then a reference is filed within seven working days. “A proposal is under consideration in which time for inquiry will be exchanged with the investigation,” an official privy to the development said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2014.