He said this while addressing a workshop on Fraud Awareness and Prevention in USAID funded projects, organized by USAID and Transparency International here on Friday.

He said under chairmanship of Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, NAB drives its legal mandate from National Accountability (NAB) Ordinance 1999 which authorizes NAB to take cognizance of acts constituting the offence of corruption and corrupt practices.

The NAO, he said, is providing effective measures for detection, investigation, prosecution and disposal of cases involving corruption, corrupt practices, misuse of authority, misappropriation of property and taking of kickbacks and commissions.

Considering huge amount spent on public procurement expenditure, the Acting Chairman said, it has turned to be a strategic planning activity from a mere operational decision making. It is considered as an important tool for poverty alleviation and aid effectiveness, he said, adding that this overall planning ensures social, political and economic development of the country.

Imtiaz Tajwar said Pakistan realized way back in year 2002 that corruption in public procurement and contracting is a serious impediment to efficient and effective utilization of resources.

The government, he said, implemented one of the Reports' key recommendations, by creating the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) in May 2002 to serve as repository of procurement expertise.

NAB takes cognizance of cases of mis-procurement under section 9 of NAO 1999.

With regard to violation of procurement rules, necessary instructions have been issued to concerned departments to make the procurement processes transparent.

Earlier, in their address, Dan Altman of USAID, John Graarke, Mission Director, USAID and Saad Rashid, Executive Director, Transparency International (TI) said they have signed a five-year cooperative agreement for "Anti-Fraud Hotline" Project.

The objective of the project is to ensure transparency and prevention of fraud, wastage and proper utilization of aid provided by USAID.