KARACHI, Jan 6: The Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Wings of the FIA were formaly merged into National Accountability Bureau Sindh at a ceremony held here on Thursday.

Addressing the ceremony, director-general NAB Maj-Gen Haroon Pasha said that a decision for the merger had been taken, in principle, on Aug 14 but could not be implemented in view of some legal and administrative requirements.

However, due to personal interest and efforts made by the NAB chairman, Lt-Gen Munir Hafeez, the implementation of this decision was made possible and work on new office and building was carried out on an emergency basis.

General Pasha said the renovation of the building included necessary repairs, painting, change of furniture, etc. During the month, he said, NAB's regional offices would formally start functioning in Sukkur and Hyderabad which would greatly facilitate people in interior of Sindh.

Inaugurating the new offices, the director-general exhorted the officers and other personnel to work hard with dedication and utilise their capabilities for eradication of corruption and discharge their responsibilities as a team work.

He expressed the hope that the newly-inducted officers and personnel would bring good name and respect to NAB by making fullest use of their experiences, skills and abilities.

Later, Maj-Gen Haroon Pasha visited the new NAB offices in barracks 35 and 48 of the Passport Office. Earlier, these were in the use of FIA. There are 700 vacancies of FIA in the country that have been transferred to the NAB.

To a query, he said that the NAB had received more than 500 cases from the FIA, and of them 179 are in courts, 249 are in investigation and rest of them are being secrutinized. Maj-Gen Pasha announced that the officials and personnel showing good performance would be given cash rewards. -PPI