April 5, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, April 4: The National Accountability Bureau has suggested introduction of rules on political parties’ financing to curb what it sees external financial control of political parties and political leaders’ illicit business interests. The suggestion has been made in the annual report-2005 of the NAB issued on Monday.

The report said only parliament could reinforce mechanism for bringing the government to account through questions asked in parliament by ministers.

According to it, despite limitations and operational inadequacies, the NAB, since its establishment in 1999 to December 2005, has recovered Rs136 billion and prosecuted 885 cases of which the accountability courts have decided 564 cases with 410 convictions and Rs4.113 billion fine.

The report claimed a holistic approach had been followed to combat corruption by launching awareness and prevention drive against corruption with enforcement operation.

The assessment of various institutions, organisations and donors indicated that the NAB had minimised corruption at macro level, the report claimed.

It said major causes of corruption in the country included flagrant abuse of power by public office holders, lack of a serious programme of combating corruption, elected government’s perpetual failure to develop proper ethical and business standards for public and private sectors, political leaders’ incompetence and betrayal of public trust and their penchant for self-enrichment, lack of transparency in government’s decision making process, lengthy and cumbersome procedures in executive system, weakness in judicial system, poor salary structure in public sector, absence of adequate internal/external controls to prevent bribery and illiterate, apathetic or ignorant populace with inadequate public discernment of political choices.

The report said in political realm, corruption undermined democracy and good governance. “Corruption in elections and legislative bodies reduces accountability and distorts representation in policy making.”

It said the NAB received 12,225 complaints in 2005. Of total 1,120 inquiries authorised during the year with 560 already under progress at the end of year 2004, only 526 could be finalised last year and 184 were converted into investigations.

A total of 144 cases were filed in the accountability courts of which 81 were disposed off and 338 are pending in the courts, it added.