NAB seeks five-year corruption data from FIA on 30 Federal Entities

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has formally asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to provide detailed information on corruption complaints and cases involving 30 federal departments and entities as part of a National Risk Assessment on Corruption under the Prime Minister’s Economic Governance Reforms (PMEGR).

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has formally asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to provide detailed information on corruption complaints and cases involving 30 federal departments and entities as part of a National Risk Assessment on Corruption under the Prime Minister’s Economic Governance Reforms (PMEGR).

According to an official letter issued by NAB Headquarters the agency has requested five years of data covering the period from 2015 to 2020. The exercise is aimed at identifying systemic weaknesses and determining which federal departments are most vulnerable to corruption.

The assessment is being conducted in phases, with the latest request forming part of the second phase of the exercise. NAB intends to use the information to identify the top five or 10 federal departments facing the highest corruption risks.

NAB has asked the FIA to provide information in four major categories.

The first category covers procurement-related corruption cases, including alleged tender manipulation, collusion, cartelisation, violations of procurement rules, over-invoicing, fictitious supplies and the use of ghost suppliers.

The second category concerns contract management, including cases of illegal award of contracts, fraudulent performance guaranties, ghost payments and alleged misappropriation of funds.

The third category concerns financial management, covering alleged embezzlement of public money, unauthorised withdrawals or payments, misstatements, fraud and cheating.

The fourth category focuses on state asset management. This includes alleged illegal disposal of government assets, unlawful allotment of government properties and misuse of official vehicles and other immovable assets.

According to NAB, the requested information will help authorities assess corruption risks across federal institutions and identify areas where governance mechanisms require improvement.

Officials said the findings of the assessment could be used to prioritise anti-corruption measures and institutional reforms in departments with the greatest exposure to corruption risks.

The exercise forms part of broader government efforts under PMEGR to strengthen economic governance and improve institutional accountability.

By examining complaints and cases across multiple categories, authorities aim to develop a clearer picture of the vulnerabilities that allow corruption-related practices to occur within federal institutions.

The assessment could also assist policymakers to identify where additional monitoring, procurement controls, financial safeguards and asset management mechanisms are required.

The request by NAB to FIA for historical data is an attempt to use existing investigative records to detect trends and systemic weaknesses rather than focusing only on individual cases.

The assessment is expected to provide a basis for prioritizing future anti-corruption interventions and reforms across federal departments and public sector entities.