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KARACHI, Jul 10 (APP):The Additional Director National Accountability Bureau Sindh Masood Ahmed has claimed that the NAB has recovered Rs 455 billion cash amount from corrupt individuals while several serving officers involved in misuse of authority were arrested.
He expressed these views in the meeting of Hamdard Shura held here at Hamdard Corporate Head office the other day. He said NAB’s internal accountability system is proactive as acting on complaints from citizens. He said Tax evasion has become a widespread practice that must be discouraged at all costs.
Hamdard Shura meeting was chaired by its Speaker Gen (R) Moinuddin Haider and also attended by president of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan Ms. Sadia Rashid (Hilal-e-Imtiaz).
The Additional Director NAB said that during the fiscal year 2023–24, NAB took major action and retrieved 2.29 million acres of land of the Sindh Forest Department that was under illegal occupation. The land is worth over Rs. 2 trillion. The occupying groups had severely damaged the forests on this land.
He added that NAB also recovered Rs. 12 billion from several fraudulent housing schemes and returned the amount to the affected victims. Since its establishment, NAB has recovered land and other assets worth billions of rupees, which are categorized as indirect recoveries. In addition, NAB has taken legal action against hundreds of individuals involved in bribery and fraud.
He further stated that in 2022, NAB laws were amended to clearly define the institution’s jurisdiction. Under the new rules, NAB can take legal action only in cases of corruption involving over Rs. 500 million. Additionally, the NAB Ordinance does not apply to individuals living abroad. In cases of suspicious money transfers in bank accounts, only the transactions made after the inquiry begins can be included in the investigation. Moreover, to prove bribery, there must be evidence showing the transfer of money from one bank account to the account of the accused.
“Plea bargain is a legal term. It does not mean giving the accused relief from punishment, but offering partial exemption from charges if the accused admits guilt before the trial begins, he said, adding that under the NAB Ordinance, plea bargain is allowed in cases of financial corruption and misuse of authority to save the court’s time and resources, and to ensure swift and effective resolution. However, even after accepting a plea bargain, the accused can be declared ineligible for public office. The illegally earned money is confiscated, heavy fines are imposed, and the person’s reputation in society suffers serious damage.”
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Speaker Shura Col (r) Mukhtar Ahmed Butt, Professor Dr. Tanveer Khalid, Cdre (r) Sadeed Anwar Malik, Engineer Parvez Sadiq, Shehla Ahmed, Huma Baig, Musarrat Akram, Professor Dr. Khalida Ghous, Professor Dr. Amir Tauseen, Engineer Ibn-ul-Hassan, Professor Dr. Amjad Jafri, and other distinguished members.