F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar on Friday informed the National Assembly that Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI)’s government had recovered looted money worth billion of rupees during the last two and half years.
Responding to question during “Question Hour” he said, with the coordination of Assets Recovery Unit (ARU), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the government had recovered the looted money from the corrupt.
During the financial year 2018-19, an amount of Rs. 15.3 million was incurred out of the budget of Assets Recovery Unit. During the financial year 2019-20, an amount of Rs. 26.7 million was incurred while during the financial year 2020-21, an amount of Rs. 5.8 million has been incurred up to September, 2020 as per the reconciled figures of the Assets Recovery Unit with Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR).
However, he said previous regimes have spent hundreds of dollars on detecting the assets of Pakistanis stashed abroad.
He said, cabinet, in its meeting held on September, 5, 2018, approved the establishment of the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) under the Chairmanship of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability, with representation from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and private sector for implementation of recovery of unlawful assets abroad.
The Assets Recovery Unit, being a coordinating unit, provides a forum to law enforcement agencies and relevant institutions to detect new cases and fast track all existing cases, targeting eventual repatriation of unlawfully acquired off-shore assets.
The afore-mentioned agencies and organizations eventually recovered the amount either through taxation or plea bargain or direct recovery repatriation to the government exchequer.
To a question of Syed Naveed Qamar, he said the agreements were signed with the Broadsheet and International Assets Recovery by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during the time of Pervez Musarraf for detection of corruption money abroad.
The Broadsheet was paid twice $2.25 million and $ 1.25 million in 2008 after signing of settlement agreements during the tenure of Yousaf Raza Gilani, he added.
The advisor said at present the government had no working relations with broadsheet nor it has engaged any private agency to trace assets. He said that the government was working for the enhancement of capacity of its workers.
