ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Javed Iqbal has said that Rs487 billion had been recovered from corrupt elements over the last three years.

“1,235 references are pending before different courts and not even one percent of them are against the businessmen,” he said while addressing the traders in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Javed Iqbal said the NAB was no longer pursuing tax cases against the business community. He said facilitating the traders and businessmen was the accountability bureau’s priority.

He however said that the corrupt elements would not be spared. He said billions of rupees had been recovered from illegal housing societies and returned the amount to the affectees.

The NAB chairman regretted the propaganda campaign against the anti-graft watchdog but said that it would continue to perform its duties honestly without any fear.