Polyclinic corruption: SC turns plea into suo motu case

Court issues notices to CADD secretary, attorney-general

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) has turned an application pertaining to corruption in Polyclinic into a sou motu case and issued notices to the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) secretary and attorney general of Pakistan.

A division bench, comprised of Chief Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, will hear the case on Thursday (July 14).

The application was filed by Dr Umer Lodhi on June 18 in the Human Rights Cell of the apex court pleading an action against the hospital administration for their alleged involvement in misappropriation in the supply of medicines and provision of gas cylinders.

The doctor accused Polyclinic acting executive director Dr Iftikhar Naru and his wife who were partners in a company — Crescent Traders and Business Developer — which has been supplying equipment to the hospital for the last five years.

This is being done despite the fact that the acting ED is a government servant but doing business with the hospital. He awards the contract to the company for supplying the hospital equipment, the applicant alleged.

The company has also been awarded the contract for repairs and maintenance of air-conditioners of the hospital.

In addition to the supply of essential gases, the hospital management was also involved in mismanaging and misappropriation of different medicines, it alleges.

The applicant has requested the chief justice to order for holding an inquiry and audit of the accounts of the hospital of the last five years.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2016.