National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal Sunday said the anti-graft watchdog should not be blamed for country’s economic woes as majority of the people have confidence over its performance.
Talking to media here, the NAB chief said no businessman will be summoned in future and, instead, a questionnaire will be sent to the suspects. “Only on receiving an unsatisfactory answer, the suspects will be summoned,” he said, adding that the bureau strongly believes in respect of people and has never disgraced any individual.
Commenting on the allegations that NAB is intimidating the business community, he said the bureau has never intervened into telegraphic transfers (TTs) of any businessman. However the bureau has the right to ask any person having assets beyond known sources of income, especially a public office holder. “NAB is a people friendly institution and is committed to protecting the business community … we have set up special desks at all bureaus across the country with a mandate to redress grievances of entrepreneurs within a period of 24 to 48 hours,” he said, adding that the officials have already been directed to immediately address complaints of the business community, however no complaint has so far been received in this regard.
He said NAB and corruption cannot go together, adding that Pakistan is a poor country and its $100 billion debts will have to be paid by the people of the country. “Questions will have to be raised when a project worth Rs 5,000 is completed in Rs 500,000. NAB cannot keep silent if billions of rupees are deposited in the account of a ‘falooda wala’,” he said. “Questioning the corrupt is not a crime. Extraordinary foreign debts are a national crisis and people should make joint efforts to address the issue,” he said.
The NAB chief said the anti-graft watchdog will make extraneous efforts to exclude country’s name from grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) by preventing money laundering. He said the bureau will do utmost to improve country’s image which has been damaged badly by the money launderers. He expressed the resolve that such elements will not be spared, and rather will be punished at every cost. He said the NAB, which was an apolitical organisation and working to eradicate corruption from the country, will take the cases of money laundering to their logical conclusion without bowing to any pressure.
About allegations that NAB arrests suspects despite lack of evidence, he said accountability courts grant remand to NAB after evaluating incriminating evidences. He said NAB had concrete evidence against some suspects who have fled the country after smelling that the bureau has sufficient evidences against them.
The chairman said NAB is strengthening its prosecution team, regretting that prosecutors were getting insufficient fees as compared to those of the opponents who receive fees in millions. “NAB should not be blamed for delay in cases as only 25 judges are hearing 1,250 corruption references,” he said.
He said NAB is being blamed that bureaucracy has stopped working due to bureau’s harassment. “I have myself visited across the country to remove apprehensions of the public servants. During the visits, I asked bureaucrats to work in accordance with law and nobody will question them, advising them to devise a mechanism of accountability within the department,” he said. “NAB will have to question a bureaucrat if millions of rupees are recovered from his home,” he said, urging the government to avoid giving top positions to suspects who are already on NAB radar.
