ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: Restructuring of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has begun with a view to refining investigation procedures for tackling the white-collar crime and to improve the organizational structure.

Bureau chairman Lt-Gen Munir Hafeez presided over a meeting here on Tuesday and briefed his officials on the restructuring programme. A NAB official said foreign consultants, De Speville and Associates, had been assigned the task of restructuring.

The consultants' team is headed by Bertrand de Speville, principal of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and former commissioner of ICAC Hong Kong; Eric Lock year, a prevention and awareness specialist and former PR director Hong Kong Police; Peter Graham, former deputy director ICAC Hong Kong and investigation specialist.

Other members of the restructuring team are: Barrister Shazadi Beg, legal and policy advisor and prosecutions specialist, and Mujib Khan, a local institutional reform specialist.

"In the four years of its existence, the NAB has achieved its objectives. It is a successful deterrent against all crimes. It has conducted an effective campaign against corruption and corrupt practices. The restructuring has been focused on the core issue of perception, improving procedures and systems," the official said.

The restructuring aims at improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the NAB and its three-pronged strategy of awareness, prevention and strict enforcement measures.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab NAB Director-General Maj-Gen Masood Alam, DG Sindh Haroon Sikandar Pasha, DG Balochistan Maj-Gen Shakeel Tayyeb Tirmizi, DG NWFP AVM Hafazat Ullah, DG Rawalpindi Rear Admiral Saeed Ahmed Sargana, Chief of Staff Brigadier Nasir Mahmood and other senior directors.