- Qamar Zaman Ch says accountability watchdog recovered Rs 276 billion since its inception
Since its inception the National Accountability Bureau has recovered Rs 276 billion which have been deposited to the national exchequer, its Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry has said.
Chairing a meeting held to review Bureau’ performance at its Headquarters in Islamabad on Tuesday, Chaudhry said the Transparency International and PILDAT had appreciated NAB’s performance.
Relating to Quaid-e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s address to the Constituent Assembly where the father of the nation had said “One of the biggest curses… is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put it down with an iron hand”, the NAB chief said the accountability watchdog had been established to eradicate corruption and recover looted money from the corrupt.
Chaudhry said NAB’s operational methodology had set three stages for proceeding of cases complaint verification, inquiry and investigation, adding that NAB’s officers/officials needed to follow a strict code of conduct and zero-tolerance policy against eradication of corruption.
He said that “starting with the year 2014 which could be called basically a year of re-invigoration of the NAB, we have moved with a new zeal and effort”.
“Through detailed introspection and analysis of organisational weaknesses, overhaul of procedures and business processes, all pillars of the organization ie operations, prosecution, human resource development and awareness and prevention have been reactivated,” the NAB chief said, adding that organogram was revisited to transform the NAB into an efficient and credible organisation.
Chaudhry said that to close the possibility of any single NAB officer/official influencing the discharge of official business, the concept of a “combined investigation team” (CIT) was introduced where two investigation officers and a legal consultant were working as a team for a fair, transparent and unbiased, inquiry/investigation.
He said that an effective accountability mechanism was quintessential for economic growth, investment and stability of social order. “The intervention by the NAB has acted as a catalyst, as transparency is a prerequisite for promoting investment and economic growth,” concluded the NAB chief.
