Only 2pc out of 1,210 corruption cases filed against business community: NAB Chairman

ISLAMABAD: Brushing aside the impression that the businessmen were perturbed due to NAB's actions, National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal on Monday said only two percent out of total 1,210 corruption references filed in different accountability courts, were against the business community out of a .

The rumours in that regard were incorrect as the NAB cases ratio against the business community, which was playing a commendable role in the country's economic development, was only 2 percent, he said while talking to a delegation of Pakistan Flour Mills Association here.

The delegation was led by Punjab Flour Mills Association Chairman Asim Raza Khan and comprised Muhammad Riaz, Muhammad Jamil, Munir Ahmed and Malik Ghulam Mustafa Arif.

The NAB chairman said the Bureau was not pursuing sales and income tax related cases of the business community as all the such cases had already been transferred to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

The notices issued by NAB Multan to flour mills owners of Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions were being held in abeyance as the matter was sub judice and Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab was probing the matter, he added.

He assured that he himself would examine their cases and asked them to provide flour to the people on the government rates.

Javed Iqbal said he had decided to hold an ‘open Katchery’ on the last Thursday of every month in order to listen to the citizens' complaints related to corruption.

Thousands of complaints were received by NAB in 2020, which were almost double from 2019.

NAB had initiated action against illegal housing societies/ Modarba scams, he added.

He said NAB accorded high priority to resolve the issues of the business community by establishing special complaints cells at its headquarters and all regional bureaus. The Bureau was trying its utmost efforts to address problems of the business community, he added.