NAB Signs MOU With China To Enhance Cooperation On Transparency In

(@FahadShabbir)

NAB signs MOU with China to enhance cooperation on transparency in

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jan, 2017 ) : The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China to enhance cooperation and oversee transparency in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Pakistan.

Chairing a meeting here Tuesday, NAB Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said corruption was a poison which not only caused delays in the early completion of development projects but also caused huge losses to the national exchequer.

He said the NAB had signed a MOU with China to enhance cooperation in eradication of corruption and oversee transparency. He said the NAB had perfected its procedures and Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to rationalize the workload.

Timelines had beens et for efficient, effective and expeditious disposal of cases putting a maximum limit of 10 months- from complaint verification-to-inquiry- to-investigation and finally to a reference in the Accountability Court, he added.

In order to ensure uniformity and standardization, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in vogue were revised after a gap of 10 years to make these responsive to the needs of changed economic, social and technological realities along with goals and targets for smooth conduct of operational activities in accordance with Law and to bring further improvements in the performance of NAB Regional Bureaus, he added.

Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said that NAB had devised Partly Quantified Grading System (PQGS) to review and evaluate the performance of all its regional bureaus on annual basis in order to know their strengths and weaknesses.

He said that NAB had also devised Combined Investigation Team (CIT), which had improved the quality of investigations as well as the professional capacity of investigation officers (IOs). The Internal Accountability Mechanism (IAM) recently devised would ensure quick and effective monitoring and evaluation of all levels of work force in NAB, he added.

He said the NAB had implemented Internal Accountability Mechanism (IAM) within NAB with a view to weed out such elements that for reasons of inefficiency, misconduct, malpractice and violation of laid down SOPs/Rules and bring a bad name to the organization.

He said the NAB had proposed to Ministry of Law and Justice that Whistle Blowing Protection Act was an obligation for the country under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

The prime minister and the Federal cabinet have approved Whistle Blower Protection Bill which will now be sent to the National Assembly for further necessary action, he added. He said that the basic object of the freedom of information and whistle blower protection acts was to empower the citizens.

He said the NAB had started serious efforts to combat corruption with this realization that eradication of corruption was national duty and collective social responsibility; that it would result in common good and that we all are together in eradication of corruption.