LAHORE: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has said the anti-graft body has “solid evidence” regarding corruption cases in Punjab and stressed he will prove what the bureau is doing is right.“Last year mega corruption cases emerged in Punjab,” he said while addressing high-ranked officials here at Punjab’s Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. “We have solid evidence against the bureaucrats we conducted inquiries and through these proofs I will prove that what NAB is doing is right.” He said the bureaucracy has a vital role in the progress and prosperity of the country. “The bureaucracy should strive hard to ensure justice and redress the grievances of the people,” he said, and stressed the need for an “effective internal accountability system” within institutions. “If the bureaucracy would work as per rules and laws, no one could intervene in their affairs.”“The bureaucracy should fulfil its responsibilities without any fear ... Bureaucracy should see whether appointments and transfers are being made on the basis of merit and whether they are right or not,” the NAB chairman added.He said the NAB was an autonomous organisation with a mandate to take action against corrupt elements and recover looted money from them. The chairman said strengthening national institutions would strengthen the country, adding the NAB had recovered and deposited Rs 303 billion in the national exchequer which “is a great achievement”.Iqbal said the NAB had the same policy for everyone and it was an independent institution with no affiliation with any political party. He said the government made policies but it was the responsibility of bureaucracy to implement these policies.The NAB Chairman said that a prominent change had been brought in the NAB’s operations and investigation process, adding he would personally monitor the complaints against higher officers including Secretary or Additional Secretary of any department and in service or retired bureaucrats.“Officers belonging to Grade 19 and above will not be arrested without my permission,” Iqbal stated. “NAB regional officers will not be able to arrest any officer on their own and from now no arrested officer will be handcuffed,” he stressed.
04-17-2019, 12:31 PM
There is ?solid evidence? of corruption in Punjab: NAB chief
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