ISLAMABAD, April 2: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recovered Rs1.137 billion through plea bargains in Rawalpindi and Islamabad last year, the bureau's annual report 2003 said.

Out of the total amount, Rs788.563 million has been recovered and Rs148.803 million is yet to be collected.

The plea bargains of Rs1.137 billion were made in 39 various cases - 24 in Islamabad and 15 related to NAB Rawalpindi.

The report said a total of 6,800 complaints were received by the NAB headquarters in Islamabad, and the bureau branch in Rawalpindi against a total number of 14,288 complaints received from all over the country. Out of 6,800 complaints, 6,344 and 456 complaints were received by NAB Islamabad and Rawalpindi, respectively.

Similarly, investigations into 16 cases were finalized in 2003, while 46 other cases remained pending.

The report said five major plea bargains were made by the NAB Rawalpindi. In one of the deals with Khalid Habib, member technical PTCL, and others, Rs21.4 million was recovered. Similarly, Rs45 million was recovered in a plea bargain with a CDA contractor, Shaukat Abbas Hamdani of Saddat Enterprise.

Another contractor of the defunct Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation, Umer Rathore of Rathore Enterprise, paid Rs27 million to NAB Rawalpindi in a separate deal.

Former RMC chief engineer Sheikh Sarfraz Ahmed and others paid Rs3.135 million for their alleged involvement in RMC Complex corruption case. Similarly, NAB Rawalpindi recovered Rs17 million from Tahir Siddiqui and others in Workers Welfare Fund case.

The report said four accused person were declared guilty by a court in different corruption cases tried by NAB Rawalpindi. In one of the cases, Mohammad Khalid Khan, Xen Gepco, was awarded one-year rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs100,000. In another case, an SDO, Humayun Khan, also received the same punishment.

Likewise, Deputy Commissioner (income tax) of Central Board of Revenue (CBR) Mohammad Yaqoob Khan was awarded seven years imprisonment and fined Rs5 million, the report said.