Embezzlement: Former FDMA DG sent to prison

Accused of misappropriating money meant for war-affected people

PESHAWAR: An accountability court has sent Arshad Khan, who was the former FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) director general and additional secretary home, to Central Prison Peshawar. Khan has been accused of embezzling funds meant for the war-affected people of Mohmand Agency.

Arshad Khan was produced in an accountability court on Thursday after his two-day physical remand ended. The court then ordered the accused to be sent on judicial remand to the prison, initially for 14 days.

After getting the accused behind bars, National Accountability Bureau will start filing a formal reference of corruption against him, using documentary evidence. The accused may apply for bail at the high court.

Misappropriation

On April 3, NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa arrested Khan, former FDMA monitoring officer Sirajuddin and community mobiliser Irfan. They are allegedly involved in the embezzlement of millions of rupees which were reserved for the payment of compensation to the people whose lives have been destroyed by terrorism in Mohmand Agency.

The government had announced Rs160,000 for partially damaged and Rs400,000 for completely damaged houses in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies. During the course of enquiry, it was revealed the accused being the director general of FDMA had managed to embezzle, in connivance with others, millions of rupees that were to be paid after the military operation in Mohmand Agency.

Khan is charged with verifying a bogus list of 122 affected people and forwarding it to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and Provincial Reconstruction Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority for payments. He is also said to have verified and forwarded 40 survey forms that were not authenticated by the political administration of Mohmand for payments.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2015.