NAB chief presents annual report: Alvi for effective steps to eliminate menace of corruption

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has recovered Rs323.29 billion, besides completing 369 inquiries, 175 investigations, and filed 136 references before the Accountability Courts during 2020, said the anti-graft watchdog's annual report.

The NAB Chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal, on Friday, presented the annual report for 2020 to President Dr Arif Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

According to the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, the NAB chairman has to present the annual report to the president every year.

Usually, the report is presented to the president in March but this year it was a bit late, said a senior official.

He said that the NAB would share the complete report with the media in the next two or three weeks.

According to the official statement, President Dr Arif Alvi has called for more effective measures to eliminate the menace of corruption from society and promote transparency and accountability in the governance system.

Corruption was a major challenge being faced by the nation and it was the collective responsibility of all segments of society to discourage corrupt practices and support government's efforts to eradicate corruption from the country, he said.

The official, while briefing the president about the annual report, said that the anti-graft body has recovered Rs323.29 billion during 2020.

The NAB received 24,706 complaints and disposed of 30,405 complaints including under-process complaints from the previous year, he said.

The chairman further said that the NAB processed 878 complaints verifications, besides conducting 369 inquiries, 175 investigations, and filed 136 references before various accountability courts during the past year. He apprised that the overall success ratio of prosecution was 66 percent during the year 2020.

According to the NAB, it has recovered Rs790 billion directly or indirectly from corrupt elements since bureau's inception, which is more recovery as compared to other such anti-corruption organisations. The NAB has filed 1,269 corruption cases in various accountability courts having an accumulative value of Rs950 billion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021