Won't tarnish anyone's reputation, says NAB chief

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lt Gen (R) Nazir Ahmed said on Wednesday that the bureau has adopted a clear principle, adding that no one’s reputation will be maligned.

The NAB chairman held his first formal interaction with senior journalists in Islamabad, which was attended by Deputy Chairman Justice (R) Sohail Nasir, DG NAB Rawalpindi-Islamabad Waqar Chauhan, DG Operations Amjad Aulakh, and other senior officials.

During the detailed question-and-answer session, Lt Gen (R) Ahmed discussed the bureau’s two-and-a-half-year performance, the identification of influential figures involved in corruption, institutional reforms, governance improvements, and other key public interest matters.

He revealed that NAB had achieved a record recovery of Rs8,397 billion in the past two and a half years, compared to Rs883 billion recovered over the previous 23 years. “No institution in the world has a better recovery rate than NAB,” he added, noting that the bureau has now gone completely paperless.

The NAB chief confirmed that an inquiry has been initiated into the statement made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He clarified that NAB does not summon ministers or parliamentarians directly, as special facilitation desks have been established in speakers’ offices, chief secretaries’ offices, and business chambers.

He stated that complaints against government officers and businesspersons are processed only after responses from the relevant desks. “Many countries that lecture us on ethics offer no cooperation and have themselves become hubs of money laundering,” he remarked.

Lt Gen (R) Ahmed said that NAB had revised its SOPs over the past two and a half years, while Parliament had approved two major amendments to the NAB law. “Our purpose is not to spread fear, but to hold accountable those involved in looting national assets,” he said, adding that NAB now investigates cases involving embezzlement exceeding Rs500 million.

He further stated that cases against officers facilitating fraud were forwarded to the respective governments, and discouraging fake and anonymous complaints had reduced the burden of unnecessary cases.

On real estate reforms, the NAB chief said that sellers, buyers, and regulators will now all be held accountable. “The file-trading system has been abolished, only genuine plots can now be bought or sold,” he added. He highlighted that NAB’s efforts led to the withdrawal of the Peshawar BRT corruption case from an international court, saving the national exchequer Rs168 billion.

He stressed that facilitators of corrupt money and property purchases are the real culprits, and that countries claiming to champion transparency often serve as protectors of corruption.

Lt Gen (R) Ahmed termed money laundering facilitation the “most horrifying form of corruption,” adding that offshore companies and political asylums hinder action against corrupt elements. He said that instead of mutual legal cooperation, local laws are often misused to protect such individuals.

Addressing misconceptions, he clarified that in plea bargain cases, NAB usually recovers more than the original amount and dismissed as “entirely false” the notion that NAB retains a share from these settlements.