NAB to avoid undue controversies, adhere to laws, says chairman

• NAB to remain apolitical, work in line with law, says chairman.
• Says he will try to restore NAB's image as unbiased organisation.
• Expresses concerns over country’s declining status in GCP Index.

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lieutenant General (retd) Nazir Ahmed has reiterated that the anti-corruption watchdog will remain completely apolitical and will work in accordance with the law to avoidundue controversies.

He said that NAB was needlessly involved in controversies in the past, which resulted in the loss of focus and reputation.

“My foremost effort will be to restore the image of NAB as a fair, just and unbiased organisation,” he said during a ceremony organised for the distribution of compensation cheques among victims of various scams, here at NAB Rawalpindi.

The NAB chief expressed concerns over the country’s declining status in the Global Corruption Perception Index and stressed the need of working in collaboration to eradicate the menace of corruption.

He lauded the affectees for their patience while waiting for the looted amount to be recovered and assured that henceforth every effort would be made to conclude such cases in the shortest possible time frame. Moreover, he also appreciated the officers for their diligent work in recovering the looted amount.

He also reminded the NAB officers and staff that the anti-graft watchdog did not have any favourites and that the body worked strictly on the principles of fairness and impartiality.

“All accused deserve courtesy and civility and treat them as you would like to be treated”, he remarked.

While answering the questions of employees, the NAB chairman said that measures were being taken to make the working environment for employees, particularly female staff, as comfortable as possible through the early resolution of their issues. He also emphasised rotation policy would be implemented in letter and spirit.

Earlier, NAB Rawalpindi Director General Mirza Irfan Baig, in his welcome remarks at the ceremony, said that his office had recovered Rs3.5 billion in five major cases of deceiving the public, out of which Rs27 million were being disbursed today among the affectees.

He said that the recoveries include Rs 130 million in fake accounts in the Sindh Tractors Scheme which were handed over to the provincial government, Rs500 million from Askaria Town Housing Scheme, Rs1.9 billion from the National House Building Development Corporation scam and others.