By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan’s corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has removed from its website the names of politicians and bureaucrats who are being investigated or against whom corruption cases are being tried in courts.
“The step appears to have been taken because of a deal between the government and PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) chairperson Benazir Bhutto, under which the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) has been promulgated envisaging withdrawal of all cases instituted between 1986 and 1999 against politicians and bureaucrats,” Dawn reported Thursday.
“Details of the pending cases, identity of the accused, leaders wanted by NAB and performance of the apex anti-corruption organisation have disappeared from the website,” it added.
As for the court cases, the website says: “Presently in process of update”.
Some figures are available about prosecution, investigations and recoveries, but the names of people being prosecuted or investigated, or those from whom recoveries have been made are not mentioned.
NAB said it would update its site after completing the formalities relating to those against whom cases are to be dropped in accordance with the NRO.
The names of 32 people convicted on various grounds remain posted on the website.
NAB has filed 1,111 cases, 62 of them during the current year, since it was created in 1999. Of these, 653 cases have been decided, 455 people have been convicted and cases against 84 have been withdrawn for various reasons.
NAB has closed 570 cases, while another 485 are being investigated but no names have been provided.
“It is being claimed that till the end of March this year, NAB recovered Rs.115 billion in bank defaults and Rs.23.97 billion in plea bargains. An amount of Rs.9.21 billion came from indirect recoveries and Rs.60.47 billion from restructuring bank loans,” Dawn said.
Fines totalling Rs.11.53 billion have been imposed as a result of cases filed by the NAB.