News Analysis |
Recently, while speaking about the Pakistan place in grey list of FATF, the chairman said, money laundering is one of the reasons why Pakistan is on the FATF’s grey list. “When Pakistan’s issue is on the international level, NAB will not care about these few people. The blame game is one thing, but the interest of the country is another thing.” Pakistan is seriously working to stop money laundering which has adversely affected the economic system in the country.
NAB is working hard to make Pakistan corruption free
NAB is currently probing various cases of corruption and misuse of authority. The matter started when the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the NAB to conclude all investigations into these mega cases by Dec 31, 2015 on July 7, 2015. The court also expressed displeasure over the cases pending for over a decade with no real progress.
Interestingly, among the 179 cases of mega corruption, 22 are related to financial corruption, 27 to housing societies and 71 pertained to corruption and misuse of authority by high-ranking public officials.
Later on, NAB had sought an extension of three months. The SC, however, instructed to present a final report to the court by the termination of the requested extension on March 31, 2016. As the new Chairman assumed the office, the prosecution division of the bureau was immediately ordered to finalize all 179 mega corruption investigations as soon as possible.
It was revealed during a performance review meeting of NAB chaired by Justice Iqbal that the investigations into 101 cases had been concluded, and references had been filed in the respective accountability courts, where the corruption cases would be adjudicated in accordance with the law.
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Moreover, currently, NAB is working on 19 inquiries and 23 investigations, while 36 cases have already been disposed of.
The 179 mega corruption cases were lodged against the industrialists, traders, senior bureaucrats and prominent politicians, including the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif (case under investigation), ex-president Asif Ali Zardari (case under trial), former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf (cases under trial), former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain, former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (case under investigation), ex-CM Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amir Haider Khan Hoti (case under investigation), former chief minister of Balochistan Aslam Raisani (inquiry under progress), former communication minister Arbab Jahangir and his wife Begum Asma Arbab (case under investigation), MPA Asif Nakai (case under investigation), MNA Syed Iftikhar Shah (case under investigation), former minister Murid Kazim (case under investigation), former chairmen of NICL Ayaz Khan and Javed Akram (case under trail) and former chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Asif Hashim (case under inquiry).
Interestingly, among the 179 cases of mega corruption, 22 are related to financial corruption, 27 to housing societies and 71 pertained to corruption and misuse of authority by high-ranking public officials.