LAHORE: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice Javed Iqbal has said that critics have created a “storm in a tea cup” over the anti-corruption watchdog’s recovery of billions of rupees, as he criticized people questioning the body’s credibility. Reprimanded.
According to a media report, the finance ministry had last month shared that they were unaware of the recovery of over Rs 821 billion – excluding Rs 6.458 billion – that the NAB claimed to have recovered since its inception. Later, the MPs had asked the authorities concerned to investigate the matter and ascertain the whereabouts of the amount.
Speaking at an event in Lahore, Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal said that “a cup creates a storm where billions of rupees have been recovered”. […] All the recovered amount is not in cash which can be deposited in the national treasury.”
The NAB president said that it was a difficult task to bring back the looted property of Pakistan.
Blaming the NAB will not end the cases, he said, adding that “controversies have surrounded the bureau as it interrogated powerful people to launder billions of rupees of money.”
The NAB chief rubbished the allegations of favoring the government and questioned those who accuse the anti-corruption body of not going after the ruling party.
“The government is not a holy cow for NAB,” he said, adding that the accountability watchdog has been fully audited thrice and barring two or four minor lapses, no problems have been found.
He said that the value of land seized by NAB in Gwadar is in trillions.
“We have a complete account of direct and indirect recovery.”
More to follow.