LAHORE, Oct 10: The National Accountability Bureau has removed from its website names of political leaders, bureaucrats and people belonging to other walks of life against whom corruption cases are pending before courts or allegations are being investigated.
The step appears to have been taken because of a deal between the government and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, under which the National Reconciliation Ordinance has been promulgated envisaging withdrawal of all cases instituted between 1986 and 1999 against politicians and bureaucrats.
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.
Regarding court cases, the website says: “Presently in process of update.”
Some figures are available about prosecution, investigations and recoveries, but not the people against whom cases are being prosecuted, investigations are under way or recoveries have been made.
Names of 32 people convicted on various grounds, however, remains on the website.
It is said that the site will be updated once details are worked out about people against whom the cases will be dropped in accordance with the NRO.
In all, NAB filed some 1,111 cases (62 of them during the current year). Of them, 653 cases have been decided, 455 people have been convicted and cases against 84 have been withdrawn for various reasons.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 presently under investigation. Details of those involved in these cases are not available.
It is being claimed that till the end of March this year, NAB recovered Rs115 billion in bank defaults and Rs23.97 billion in plea bargain. An amount of Rs9.21 billion was recovered in indirect recoveries and Rs60.47 billion in restructuring of bank loans.
As a result of the NAB cases, fines totalling Rs11.53 billion were imposed.
Although after the promulgation of the ordinance NAB seems to have become redundant, Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem said in an interview that the government’s ‘Jihad’ against corruption would continue unabated.
He said people who remained in power after Oct 1999 could be investigated by NAB if there were complaints against them.
