National

NAB will help ECP in holding free and fair polls: Bokhari

March 31, 2013

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Regarding the scrutiny of election candidates, NAB Chairman Fasih Bokhari said on Sunday the bureau’s departments concerned have been directed to facilitate the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding free and fair elections.
Talking to reporters, he said NAB would provide to the ECP the details of the convicts. He also said an election cell has also been set up at NAB headquarters and provincial regional offices.
By adopting international methods to prevent corruption, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has saved Rs 200 billion from corruption during 2012, said the chairman.
Bokhari said NAB had intervened in high-profile cases involving huge money because the small-scale cases needed to be tackled by the FIA and Anti-corruption Establishment, police and other departments which have their own courts like customs and taxation.
He said despite facing severe manpower deficit, NAB had revitalised its functioning when it was on the verge of collapse.
“Currently, we are running our affairs with 28 percent strength of manpower. Though we have recruited 260 new investigators, deficit yet exists,” the chairman NAB said.
He said training of new officers would take another six months and would further strengthen the enforcement. Forty among these investigators would be sent abroad for further training on the basis of their performance as NAB had sought cooperation of the FBI and the investigation and anti-corruption agencies of the European Union.
He said NAB would empower the regulators to advance meritocracy, fair-play, transparency, promote awareness, and combat the corruption.
To a question, he said today’s NAB was different from the one headed by General (r) Amjad who had full backing of the army.
“At that time, NAB recovered Rs 180 billion from tax and loan defaulters as the main force behind that recovery was the pressure of the armed forces. But later, the NAB recovery dropped to single digit. But despite having no such backing NAB has recovered Rs 25 billion during last year,” he said.
He ruled out the impression that NAB was still being used as a tool for political victimisation, adding that the bureau always worked independently and would continue to execute its assigned functions.
To a question as to why the NAB investigation was slow, the chairman said the financial crimes investigation was highly complex and complicated. White-collar criminals were highly intelligent and savvy in financial dealings and regulations, he added.
“Finding prosecutable evidence to secure conviction under our current outdated Evidence Act is time consuming. Current investigators also need modern training,” he said.
“I have already directed NAB Operations and Prosecution Wings to actively pursue all high profile cases including RPPs and OGRA so as the references could be filed if sufficient court-worthy evidences are available,” Bokhari added.
About the suo motu on tax evasion of telecom companies, Bokhari said the case was under investigation and its findings would be shared with the media after it reached to its logical conclusion.
“Let me tell you NAB will not spare any corrupt individual or institution. Cellular companies are more important for media organisations for being the biggest clients of electronic and print media,” he commented urging media to highlight their corruption about tax evasion.