More than 1,000 cases pending as enquiries put on hold
The absence of a chairman for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has forced the bureau to freeze further investigations of 1,200 corruption cases involving billion of rupees.
Per details, more than a thousand cases of corruption charges against the Elixir Group, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), Capital Development Authority (CDA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Finance Ministry, Population Welfare Department (PWD), Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the Housing Ministry and various housing societies which were received by the NAB from May 29 to August 15, are still pending.
Sources revealed that the corruption complaints received by the NAB against the Elixir Group exceed 400 and there are 20 corruption charges against the SECP.
Other departments, authorities and government functionaries are also charged with corruption but enquiries into their cases are pending till the appointment of a NAB chairman.
Initial reports have been prepared by the NAB but no references can be filed in the accountability courts as the NAB chairman’s permission is required for filing the references.
A NAB Executive Board Meeting (EBM) will be called after a chairman is appointed.
Former NAB chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari was removed by the Supreme Court (SC) on May 28 after his appointment was declared illegal.
Talking to Pakistan Today, NAB Spokesman Ramzan Sajid said that the process of complaint verification of normal cases was going on as the NAB director generals were holding different cases but references could be sent to the accountability courts only after the permission and signatures of the chairman.
Sources said it was expected that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would call on the opposition leader after Eidul Fitr to discuss the matter of the appointment of a chairman for NAB but nothing had happened so far although the SC has directed the present government many times to appoint a chairman soon.