ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked the Establishment Division to strictly implement rules aimed at curbing corruption and hold heads of departments/organisations responsible for any corruption in their domain.

According to the NAB spokesman, the bureau has conducted a study of the Civil Establishment Code (Estacode) focusing on measures aimed at prevention of corruption.

He said that the Estacode chapter on ‘conduct and discipline’ contained measures to be taken to combat corruption in government departments and reduce their vulnerability to corruption.

The study noted that the President and Chief Martial Law Administrator’s Note No.57/1 of Sept 25, 1978 and section 9(vi) of NAB Ordinance-1999 had held heads of the government departments responsible for any corruption in their domain and proposed punishment.

The note reads: “A head of department will bear responsibility, and be answerable for proven charges of corruption within the area of his administrative jurisdiction.”

The study has observed that some other provisions of the Civil Establishment Code pertain to responsibility of officials to watch the conduct of their subordinates, responsibility of head of departments/organisations to eradicate corruption from among their subordinates and the setting up of committees to deal with corruption cases.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play