PESHAWAR, Sept 21: The concept of plea bargain existed in old tribal societies and the recovery of money would have been impossible without the provision of plea bargain in the National Accountability Ordinance.

This was the crux of a seminar held here on Monday under the auspices of the National Accountability Bureau as part of its awareness programme. NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who was chief guest on the occasion, appreciated the achievements of NAB in strengthening the national economy.

Referring to the discussion, he said such seminars would help understand better the concept and modalities of plea bargain and other relevant issues, said a press release.

Prosecutor-general accountability Irfan Qadir discussed the benefits of plea bargain and concluded that the recovery of money would have remained a distant cry without the concept of plea bargain in the National Accountability Ordinance.

Senator Waseem Sajjad pointed out that the concept of plea bargain existed in old tribal societies in the form of jirga and panchayat. He said the Supreme Court had validated the plea bargain as being an effective method of tackling corruption. Senior lawyer Syed Zafar Abbas Zaidi stressed the need for a mechanism to regulate and institutionalize plea bargain.