SMEDA: GM faces corruption charges

LAHORE:

Former Bahawalpur District Coordination Officer (DCO) Dr Naeem Rauf faces corruption charges. An FIR has been registered against him by the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Bahawalpur. The Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) initiated an inquiry against him in 2013. The inquiry officer has now sent his report to the federal government, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Rauf, a Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officer in BS-19, is currently serving as the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) general manager.

The allegations of corruption and abuse of power relate to the period between April 2009 to March 2013 when Rauf was serving as Bahawalpur DCO.

According to the statement of allegations framed by Punjab government against Rauf, he allotted 77 kanals of agricultural land at Hotwala village to a friend, Sultan Jehanghir, by forging official records. Later, the land was sold to an influential family in the area.

Rauf is accused to have used the proceeds of the sale to build a poultry shed at Lodharn with help from his brother-in-law.

Rauf is also accused of having fraudulently purchased 44 kanals of farm land in Yazman tehsil in his wife’s name that was later sold to a friend.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment, Bahawalpur conducted an inquiry against him on the directions of the chief minister.

After the inquiry, a case was registered against Rauf under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Jam Baqa, the Anti-Corruption Establishment Bahawalpur chapter deputy director, said the case was registered against Rauf on charges of corruption, abuse of authority and fraud. “The case was registered after the approval of competent authority as Rauf is a PAS officer. It is under investigation. He was summoned to record his statement in this regard,” Baqa said.

“The Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) framed separate charges against Rauf and sent it to the federal government in October, 2013. The federal government then appointed Farhan Aziz Khawaja, now the labour and human resources secretary, as inquiry officer to proceed against the accused officer,” an official of the S&GAD, requesting anonymity, said.

Khawaja told The Express Tribune that he had completed the inquiry and sent his findings to the federal government for further action. He refused to share the contents of his report. Rauf said the inquiry was an administrative matter. He said he had not joined the Anti-Corruption Establishment investigation yet. Rauf said the inquiry officer was competent authority to decide the veracity of the allegations.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2014.