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Govt providing facilities to detainees: NAB chief

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lt. Gen. Syed Mohammad Amjad has said that the government had taken various steps to provide possible facilities to the persons detained by the NAB.

In an interview with BBC Radio, he said in certain cases the people are only under house arrest while in a case the alleged person has not even arrested because of his medical condition despite issuance of warrants.

He further said a number of detainees are in hospitals while on various occasions doctors had been sent to provide medical facility to them.

Special care has been taken to ensure that police custody rules are followed properly besides other facilities like meetings of detainees with family members and their lawyers, he added.

In certain cases, even factory management was allowed to meet the detained owners, the NAB chairman said.

Lt. General Amjad said due to amendment in the Accountability Act now the responsibility to prove innocence will fall on the person accused of corruption charges and not on the government.

The chairman said the system is also effectively working in the International Revenue Service of Singapore and the United States.

He said although the investigation period of 90 days looks enough,in reality 90 days are too little to carry out investigations in a country where there are neither trained investigators nor the expertise.

Recently in London Al-Tawfeek Bank took about six months to establish link between the owners and the property of Mayfair flats, he said.

This much time was taken in an environment where they have the services of very good lawyers and investigators, General Amjad added.

The NAB chairman informed that with the passage of time, lower level officials like SHOs, tehsildars, patwaris will also come in the accountability net.ÑAPP