Mega corruption cases must not be dragged for years: NAB Chairman

ISLAMABAD - Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal, Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said on Monday that the mega corruption cases must not be dragged for years and be concluded within the prescribed timeframe.

He was chairing a meeting to review the progress of Prosecution and Operation Divisions, especially regarding mega corruption cases at NAB headquarters.

He directed to conclude mega corruption cases to logical conclusion as soon as possible as corruption was root-cause of all ills.

He said NAB was striving hard to purge the country from corruption by pursuing the policy of ‘Accountability for All’ by ensuring merit and transparency, said a press release.

The NAB Chairman said he had already directed the concerned immediately after taking the reins of the bureau on October 11, 2017 to take the 170 mega corruption cases to logical conclusion.

The meeting was told that NAB headquarters and regional bureaus had made encouraging efforts to conclude the mega corruption cases. As many as 105
mega corruption cases from out of a total of 179 such cases, have already been submitted to relevant Accountability Courts. The proceedings of the cases were continuing as per law.

The meeting was told that 15 inquiries, 18 investigations were continuing in NAB, while 41 such cases have been concluded.

The Chairman directed the officers to ensure self-respect of suspects summoned for investigations or inquiries, etc. NAB should file a reference in accountability courts along with concrete evidence, he added.

He said NAB should pursue cases in Accountability Courts, High Courts and Supreme Court with comprehensive preparations that too by collecting concrete evidence as per law. NAB was utilizing all resources to rid the country of corruption, he added.

He said NAB had received double complaints this year as compared to year 2018 adding that performance analysis shows that NAB officers were striving hard to eradicate corruption.

He said positive results of the campaign has already started emerging
in as according to Gillani and Gallup Survey, 59 percent people have
expressed satisfaction over NAB performance.