20000403

CE admits

accountability

process is slow

BANGKOK: Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf on Sunday said the accountability process will pick up pace in the coming days and hopefully net thousands of corrupt people.

Addressing Pakistani community here, he said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has managed to recover Rs 40 billion.

He said Rs 14 billion was recovered from the loan defaulters while bad debtors of Rs 30 billion were forced to become good debtors. Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Commerce Minister Razaq Dawood and Pakistan charge d'affaires Iftikhar Hussain Shah were also present on the occasion.

Gen Musharraf said he was aware of the popular demand for accountability of those who plundered the national wealth. He conceded that pace of the accountability is slow but it is due to some cogent reasons and not for any lack of resolve or determination on part of the government. He told them the accountability was being conducted through civil courts and there were no military courts. He said the FIA was not properly equipped to probe the white collar crimes as it did not have qualified investigators and prosecutors.ÑAPP