Politicians are least corrupt when compared with bureaucrats and businessmen in the country, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday.
The NAB data pertaining to the recoveries made through voluntary return and plea bargain submitted to PAC revealed that the recoveries made from politicians were the lowest among bureaucrats, businessmen and others.
The data states that the amount recovered by the anti-graft watchdog amounted to a total of Rs54.63 billion, out of which only Rs0.47 billion belonged to politicians. The bureau recovered Rs8.17 billion from bureaucrats, Rs24.31 billion from businessmen and Rs21.68 billion from others.
The total amount includes Rs19.12 billion recovered through voluntary return and Rs35.51 billion via plea bargain. Out of Rs0.47 billion, the politicians returned only Rs0.05 billion voluntarily and Rs0.42 as a plea bargain.
In addition, bureaucrats returned Rs3.96 voluntarily while Rs4.21 was recovered from them through a plea bargain. Businessmen plea bargained the most with Rs17.16 billion and returned Rs7.15 voluntarily to NAB.
Responding to a question by committee members, the NAB officials clarified that the only difference between voluntary return and a plea bargain was of conviction.
“Plea bargain carries conviction,” they said. PPP’s Sherry Rehman wondered “who could be these angels who voluntarily returned the money to NAB”.
Meanwhile, NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal once again skipped the PAC hearing on account of being tested positive for Covid-19.
However, neither PAC chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain nor the committee members made any hue and cry over DG NAB Hasnain Ahmed giving a briefing.
Last time, PAC had refused to take briefing over chairman NAB’s absence and a letter from NAB stating that Prime Minister Imran Khan had barred the anti-graft chairman from appearing before parliamentary committees, including PAC.
The committee had summoned chairman NAB on January 26 to quiz him on the appropriation of accounts as well total recoveries made by the anti-graft body from politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other entities including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The highest accountability forum of parliament had also directed him to bring details pertaining to book adjustments, cash recoveries and the total embezzled amount from government treasury and private entities, individuals and banks.
When the PAC meeting started on Wednesday, Tanveer informed the committee members that chairman NAB had contracted Covid-19, adding that he had asked the DG to come and let the committee decide if it wants to go ahead or not. The members did not raise any objection to this.
DG NAB informed the panel that NAB had approached the finance division and was told that the excess amount was taken as a grant and the supplementary grant would be approved in due course.
To an objection from PPP’s Naveed Qamar over the timeframe, Tanveer directed NAB to regularise the amount in the next session of the National Assembly.
To PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s question what would happen if the amount was not regularized and got rejected, Tanveer said that in that case “the amount would be recovered; very simple.” While addressing Sadiq, Tanveer, however, quipped that he should think positive.
As DG NAB started the presentation, PAC members asked so many questions that it couldn’t be completed and Tanveer had to ask NAB officials to come back with answers later on.
The questions were about the timeframe of NAB inquiries; internal accountability system; results of Broadsheet inquiry; reasons of delay in Khursheed Shah case; why very little goes to the federal consolidated fund.
Naveed Qamar had wondered how only Rs17 million went to the federal consolidated fund out of the over Rs8 billion recoveries so far.