ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice JavedIqbal said the anti graft watchdog would make extraneous efforts to excludecountry’s name from Grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) bypreventing money laundering.
Talking to media, he said the bureau would do utmost to improve country’simage which had been damaged badly by the money launderers, expressingresolve that such elements would not be spared rather punished at everycost.
He said NAB, which was apolitical organization and working to eradicatecorruption from the country, would take the cases of money laundering totheir logical conclusion sans bowing to any pressure.
The chairman said Bureau strongly believed in respect of people and neverdisgraced any individual.
Commenting on the allegations that NAB is intimidating the businesscommunity, he said the bureau never intervened into telegraphic transfers(TTs) of any businessman; however the bureau had the right to ask anyperson having assets beyond known sources of income especially from thepublic office holder.
Javed Iqbal said NAB was a people friendly institution and committed toprotect the business community, for which it had set up special desks atall bureaus across the country within a period of 24 to 48 hours with amandate to redress grievances of entrepreneurs.
He said NAB had already been directed to immediately address complaints ofthe business community; however no complaint had so far been received inthis regard.
The chairman reiterated that the bureau had never harassed leadingbusinessmen.
However, questions would have to be raised when a project worth Rs5000 iscompleted in Rs 500,000. NAB could not keep silence if billions of rupeeswere deposited in the account of a ‘Faloda wala’ (ice cream vendor), headded.
He said NAB and corruption could not go together, adding that Pakistan wasa poor country and indebted $100 billion, the debts would have to be paidby the people of the country.
Questioning the corrupt is not a crime. Extraordinary foreign debts are anational crisis and people should make joint efforts to address the issue,he said adding NAB always welcomed constructive criticism.
The chairman NAB should not be blamed for country’s economic woes as over59 percent people reposed confidence over NAB as per the Gallup survey. Hesaid two leading businessmen of the country Arif Habib and Mian Mansha hadappreciated NAB due to its performance in writing.
Read Top Stories
He said NAB had decided to avoid summoning businessmen. Only questionnairewould be sent to the suspects and on receiving unsatisfactory answer thesuspects would be summoned.
Javed Iqbal said NAB had recovered and returned over Rs 2.5 billion ofsmall investors after recovering from the looters.
Admitting some lapses in NAB, he said efforts were being made to remove theflaws identified to improve it working.
About allegations that NAB arrests suspects despite lack of evidence, hesaid Accountability Court granted remand to NAB after evaluatingincriminating evidences.
He said NAB had concrete evidence against some suspects who already fledthe country after smelling that the bureau had sufficient evidences againstthem.
The chairman said NAB was strengthening its prosecution team, regrettingthat NAB prosecutors were getting insufficient fee as compared to opponentswho received fee in millions. NAB should not be blamed for delay in casesas only 25 judges were hearing 1,250 corruption references.
He said NAB was being blamed that bureaucracy had stopped working due tobureau’s harassment. He said himself visited across the country to removeapprehensions of public servants.
During the visit, the chairman said he had asked bureaucrats to work inaccordance with law and nobody would question them, advising them to devisea mechanism of internal accountability within the department.
NAB would have to question a bureaucrat if millions of rupees are recoveredfrom his home, he said urging the government to avoid giving top positionsto suspects who were already on NAB radar.
