ISLAMABAD: Fifteen years after its inception, the National Accountability Bureau has set up a forensic lab which will help in investigating white-collar crimes.

NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry inaugurated the lab at the bureau’s regional headquarters in Islamabad/Rawalpindi on Monday.

The Australian Federal Police has provided the equipment for the lab.

The NAB chief said on the occasion that the main purpose of the lab was to equip the bureau with advanced technology to meet the needs to eradicate the menace of corruption from society.

He said the lab would meet not only NAB’s requirements but as an authentic lab it would also help other government departments.

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The NAB Rawalpindi’s Director General Training and Research Division and other senior officers attended the opening ceremony.

The chairman stressed the need for arranging best possible training for the officers posted at the lab.

NAB spokesman Mohammad Irfan said: “With the help of a properly functioning forensic lab, the investigation officers will now be able to produce better and quick results in high-profile corruption cases.”

The lab, he said, would help retrieve documents from cellphones, computers, iPads and networks and determine the authorship of hand-writings and identity of typescripts and printed documents.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2014