Islamabad: Honorable Justice Mr. Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB said that NAB is committed to root out corruption in all its forms and manifestation by using all its resources with absolute professionalism, transparency, merit and as per law across the board. He said this while chairing a meeting to review overall performance of NAB at NAB headquarters.
He said that NAB’s Anti-corruption strategy started yielding positive dividends. Due to its effectiveness, NAB has decided to continue its proactive and effective Anti-corruption strategy in order to nabbing corrupts and recover looted money. He said that the main focus of NAB is on cases of cheating public at large by fraudulent financial companies, housing and cooperative companies, bank frauds, willful bank loan defaults, misuse of authority and embezzlement of state funds by government servants and corruption by private persons etc. He said that the figures of complaints, inquiries and investigations are almost double as compared to the same period of 2017 to 2018. The comparative figures for the latest more than three years are indicative of the hard work being put in by all ranks of NAB staff in an atmosphere of renewed energy and dynamism, where fight against corruption is being taken as a national duty.
He said that NAB has rationalized its timelines for efficient, effective and expeditious disposal of cases. NAB has also introduced a new System of Combine Investigation Team (CIT) in order to benefit from the experience and collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers which is being helpful in lending quality to the work but also ensuring that no single individual can influence the proceedings of any case in NAB. He said that concept of CIT has proved very successful in order to improve quality of inquiry and investigations and benefit from the collective wisdom and experience of senior officers.
The Chairman NAB said that NAB has introduced Internal Accountability Mechanism (IAM). Till todate out of 85 officers/officials, 23 officers have been imposed major penalty which is removal from service and 34 have been received minor penalties. This is a record that any organization has initiated Accountability Process within its organization at its own.
The Chairman NAB said that NAB is role model for SAARC Countries. Pakistan is first Chairman of SAARC Anti-Corruption forum in order to have collaborative efforts for eradication of corruption on the basis of best practices. NAB has signed MOU with China in order to eradicate corruption. He said that to create Awareness against the ill effects of corruption among the youth of Pakistan and over 50, 000 Character Building Societies (CBSs) have been established by NAB in the country in universities/colleges to create awareness against corruption as youths are considered a vanguard in this fight.
The Chairman NAB said that NAB has constituted Prevention Committees in order to identify loopholes, suggest ways and means to plug loopholes and measures for improvement/strengthening regulatory mechanism of Federal and Provincial Governments for transparency, meritocracy, fair play and compliance of relevant laws / rules, NAB has constituted prevention committees on Capital Development Authority (CDA), Ministry of Religious Affairs, Agriculture and National Food security, National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Prevention Committee on FBR, Prevention Committee on Press Information Department (PID) and Prevention Committees constituted in Provinces relating to Health, Education, Revenue and Housing, Cooperatives etc. NAB’s Prevention Committee on Ministry of Religious Affairs has forwarded its recommendations to Ministry of Religious Affairs which were considered by Ministry of Religious Affairs very aggressively in order to provide better facilities to Hajis and to address problems of Hajis. He emphasized that all regional bureaus of NAB to constitute Prevention Committees in different departments in consultation with concerned departments so that NAB may identify/ suggest ways and means to plug loopholes and measures for improvement/strengthening regulatory mechanism of Federal and Provincial Governments for transparency, meritocracy, fair play and compliance of relevant laws / rules for further effective working of Provincial Departments.
Honorable Justice Mr. Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB said NAB said that the initiatives taken by the present management of NAB have started yielding positive dividends as today NAB’s conviction ratio is about 77 percent which is a remarkable achievement in investigation of White Collar Crimes.
