ISLAMABAD: The chief of the apex anti-corruption watchdog has stated that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed 150 references and recovered Rs50 billion in misappropriated funds over the past three years.
“Corruption is just like cancer. It is the mother of all evils. We have to root out corruption with iron hands through a holistic and workable anti-corruption strategy,” this was stated by NAB Chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry while talking to the media during his official visit to Austria.
The Nab chief said that their anti-corruption strategy, adopted over the past three years, had been globally appreciated.
He added that NAB has also introduced a new system of Combine Investigation Team (CIT) so that investigators can benefit from the experience and collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers.
Moreover, he said that NAB’s officers were following a strict Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures and merit according to law.
In this regard, the organogram of NAB was revisited. Further, a Quantifiable Grading System (QGS) was devised in 2015 to monitor the performance of all regional bureaus of NAB.
A mid-term inspection of the NAB headquarters and all regional bureaus was held based on feedback received from the annual inspections.
Further, NAB introduced an Internal Accountability Mechanism (IAM) which has seen 84 officers investigated. Of these, 23 officers were removed from service, while 34 received minor penalties.
During the tenure of the incumbent management, Chaudhry said NAB had achieved an overall conviction ratio of around 76 per cent in accountability courts, far greater than those of other anti-corruption agencies.
He further said that NAB had set up the first Forensic Science Lab (FSL) at NAB’s Rawalpindi bureau.
