Time for Accountability: Fight against corruption a collective duty, says NAB chief

PILDAT rates NAB prosecution success rate in courts to be 70 percent.

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhary said on Tuesday that the fight against corruption was a collective social responsibility as the Bureau could not fight war against corruption alone.

“The dream of a corruption free society will remain elusive unless the whole nation says “no to corruption”, he said while addressing a seminar on “Accountability - vital pillar of good governance”, organized by NAB at Bahria University.

The Chairman NAB said good governance was to get maximum benefit at the cost of minimum loss in a transparent and equitable manner. Good governance called for the economic utilization of available resources for the uplift of people and was the responsibility of the government, he added.

Qamar Zaman Chaudhary said accountability/answerability could be in various forms and shapes. He gave the example of financial accountability through the Accountant General or legislative accountability through legislatures or media accountability. For the other parts of NAB even if it was to arrest a criminal and bring him before the court of law it would be an initiative leading to accountability.

He said NAB was providing a part of accountability mechanism in the country and its ordinance empowered the examination of existing laws to eliminate the loopholes of corruption. NAB has sent its recommendations to Federal Board of Revenue (BFR) for elimination of loopholes in tax laws.

He said NAB has revived and reintegrated its awareness and prevention drive because it felt elimination of corruption required a broader and a more long term approach. Cooperation of ordinary citizens was sought through utility bills, seminars, slogans and other awareness drives, he added. He said in 2014, 19,999 complaints were lodged with NAB which was the reflection of the people’s trust.

Qamar Zaman Chaudhary said PILDAT has rated NAB prosecution success rate in courts to be 70 percent. Chief guest Justice (retd) Mian Muhammad Ajmal also addressed the seminar and gave away souvenirs to the guests.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2015.