Tuesday May 23, 2023
NAB to remain apolitical, work within law, says chairman.
He says he will try to restore NAB's image as an unbiased organisation.
He expresses concern over the country's declining status in the GCP index.
ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed has reiterated that the anti-corruption watchdog will remain completely apolitical and work within the law to avoid unnecessary controversies.
He said that NAB had unnecessarily involved itself in controversies in the past, leading to a loss of focus and reputation.
"My main effort will be to restore the image of NAB as a fair, just and unbiased organization," he said during a ceremony organized to distribute compensation checks to victims of various scams here at NAB Rawalpindi.
The NAB chief expressed concern over the country's declining status in the Global Corruption Perceptions Index and stressed the need to work together to eradicate the menace of corruption.
He commended the affected for their patience while waiting for the return of the looted amount and assured that henceforth all efforts would be made to close such cases in the shortest possible time. Apart from this, he also appreciated the police officers for their conscientious work in recovering the looted amount.
He also reminded the officers and staff of NAB that the anti-graft watchdog has no favorites and that the body works strictly on the principles of fairness and impartiality.
"All accused deserve courtesy and civility and treat them as you would want to be treated," he noted.
Responding to the queries of the employees, NAB chairman said that measures are being taken to make the working environment for the employees, especially the women employees, as comfortable as possible by resolving their issues in a timely manner. He also emphasized that the rotation policy will be implemented in letter and spirit.
Earlier, NAB Rawalpindi Director General Mirza Irfan Baig, in his welcome remarks at the ceremony, said his office had recovered Rs 3.5 billion in five major cases of defrauding the public, of which Rs 27 million was disbursed among the affected today.
He said the recovered amounts include Rs 130 million in fake accounts in the Sindh Tractors Scheme that were handed over to the provincial government, Rs 500 million from the Askaria Urban Housing Scheme, Rs 1.9 billion from the National House Building Development Corporation scam and others.
