ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi region has recovered over Rs300 billion and filed 134 references in accountability courts over the past four years.

According to data shared by the anti-graft watchdog with the media on Sunday, 134 references were filed against individuals, including some prominent personalities, politicians and bureaucrats, during the present tenure of NAB Rawalpindi Director General Irfan Mangi.

Prominent among those against whom the references were filed include former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail, former managing director of Pakistan State Oil Imran Ahmed, Liaquat Qaimkhani, Abdul Majid Ghani, Ejaz Haroon, Dr Dinsha and Bilal Sheikh.

A comparative review of NAB Rawalpindi’s performance (from 2018 to 2021) with the bureau’s past 16-year performance was presented to the media.

According to it, NAB Rawalpindi recovered a total of Rs314bn through plea bargain and other mode of recoveries over the last four years, with indirect recovery recorded an annual increase of 85 per cent. In 49 cases, 160 accused were arrested — an average increase of 67pc.

However, since the inception of NAB (1999) till 2018, NAB Rawalpindi got convicted a total of 649 accused in different white-collar crimes, whereas it managed to get 160 accused convicted through courts during the last four years.

According to the document, NAB Rawalpindi filed 134 references involving over Rs176bn. It said that from 2018 to December 2021, NAB Rawalpindi managed to get imposed Rs25bn fines on the accused through accountability courts and 127 accused were sentenced. The conviction rate remained 68pc in 2021 due to “effective follow-up of cases”.

According to the document, NAB Rawalpindi decided 27,369 complaints, 158 inquiries and 97 investigations during the last four years. It is also handling important cases like fake bank accounts scam against 172 persons, including former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. In this case, an amount of Rs33.78bn has so far been recovered while recoveries worth billions of rupees are expected.

The accused in notorious Modaraba scandal were sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined Rs10bn.

NAB Rawalpindi has worked jointly with the British National Crime Agency, the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) of the United States and the Prosecution Office of Korea.

NAB Rawalpindi had come to the limelight when it investigated the famous Panama Papers case in which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced.

According to NAB Rawalpindi, it has made a significant progress in the Toshakhana reference and the process of recording of witnesses’ statements in court is under way.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2022