According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of Pakistan, Rs 25 billion (about $ 415 million) worth of looted funds have been recovered, mainly from bank loan defaulters, but this has not impress Pakistanis, who appear dismayed at the slow pace of General Pervez Musharraf's drive to end rampant corruption, despite the conviction of dozens of former officials during the first year of his military rule. About a dozen special accountability courts across the country have sentenced to jail some 35 people, including politicians who have also been barred from politics for long periods.
Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif is among the convicts who got 14 years in jail for tax evasion and concealing assets.
In April of last year while Sharif was still in power, former prime minsiter Benazir Bhutto was sentenced to five years in jail for recieving kickbacks on contracts. Under the decree, the NAB can detain an accused for three months for investigations without filing charges, and no court can grant bail.
Almost all political parties have bitterly criticised the exemption of serving military officers and superior court judges from the purview of the accountability law. Bureau Report