Rampant corruption has collapsed the accountability system in the country, acknowledged Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Admiral Fasih Bokhari (Retd) on Saturday. Dismissing reports regarding pressure from various quarters, he said that he was not facing any pressure from the Presidency or the General Headquarters (GHQ), but such reports were being circulated by people involved in corruption as part of propaganda against him, the Chairman NAB told media persons here on the completion of the first year of his tenure.
He said that he had been deflecting pressure and did not allow any of his staff to face pressure, adding that the country's regulatory mechanism had collapsed, as the bureaucracy in collaboration with politicians and the private sector, got desired projects passed by pressing regulators. He said that since March this year, NAB scrutinised 173 projects initiated at of federal and provincial levels, creating a financial impact of Rs 1.475 trillion.
According to him, at the federal level, 14 projects were scrutinised, preventing leaks of Rs 1.426 trillion. In Sindh, 55 projects were scrutinised, saving Rs 26.3 billion, Punjab 73 projects saving Rs 11.2 billion, Balochistan 12 projects saving Rs 9.6 billion, 14 projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, preventing corruption of Rs 1 billion. Similarly, five projects of Rawalpindi were scrutinised and a corruption of Rs 1 billion prevented.
Referring to the Arsalan Iftikhar case, the Chairman NAB said that this case was relating to two individuals and NAB had informed the Supreme Court that it did not fell under NAB's jurisdiction, even then it had been handed over to NAB and taken back later. He said that corruption can only be curbed if the nexus formed by bureaucrats, politicians and private sector was disentangled.
He said that NAB had decided to take precautionary measures from March this year onwards and during the past six months, the bureau had been consulting with regulators of various sectors, checking the procurement and award of contract process of federal and provincial governments.
The NAB chief said that internal controls at ministerial and departmental levels should be augmented, adding that effective checks by 11 regulatory bodies would ensure a strong preventive mechanism in five provincial regions. He also said that changes were being brought in curriculum at school, college and university levels to eradicate corruption.
Brigadier Mussadaq Abbasi (Retd), Director-General, Awareness NAB, said that violation of PPRA rules was detected in the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project where the cost was increased from Rs 84 billion to Rs 321 billion. Action is being taken in this regard, he said. Violation of PPRA rules was also unearthed in the Golan Gol Hydropower Project, costing Rs 7 billion.
NAB intervention, he said, saved public money worth Rs 4 billion in Grand Hyatt Hotel project worth Rs 18 billion, adding that issues with CDA had been resolved. Re-balloting of the allotment of 725 plots by CDA in the Blue Area had been annulled by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and CDA had been asked to follow rules. Development of Sector I-15 had been selected for scrutiny upon violation of PPRA rules.
Violation of PPRA rules was detected in Port Qasim Authority's (PQA) dredging operations, worth Rs 3 billion annually. Irregularities in contract worth Rs 4 billion for the procurement of dredging machines were identified and rectified. A deal for procuring a 75-ton Bollard Pull Tug Ship was cancelled. Similarly, allotment of plots in PQA's industrial area was put under scrutiny. Repeat orders to FWO and NLC by PQA were cancelled.
He said that the contract for the construction of Jaglot-Skardu Road project worth Rs 40 billion had been awarded to a single party and this contract had been cancelled and a re-tendering process was initiated. Similarly, re-tendering of Syedwala Ravi Bridge Project worth Rs 900 million was instructed. The case of the auction of Toll Plaza worth Rs 432 million, was scrutinised and enforcement action is yet to be taken.
Policy violation were also identified in 3G and 4G spectrum auction worth Rs 200 billion and compliance is being ensured. Case of Rs 30 billion illegal charging by cell companies on monthly fee for SMS services is also under being scrutinised. NAB, he said, had also detected illegal use of funds from the Rs 53 billion Universal Service Fund, comprising contributions by cell phone companies for infrastructure development in rural areas. NAB is also processing purchase of 321 kanals of land by EOBI from DHA at an exorbitant rate, costing Rs 16 billion. NAB also identified post-contract award violations in OGDCL (Uch-2) project worth Rs 40 billion.
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