Five corruption cases referred to ACE

Millions have allegedly been misappropriated.

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has passed on five references of monetary misappropriations to the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for investigation. The references forwarded mostly relate to corruption, misuse of authority and accumulation of assets from undisclosed income.

Dr Abdul Rasheed, in his complaint, alleged that SDO Abu Zar supervised civil works at the Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Dr Rasheed said a central chiller unit worth Rs80 million was listed in the papers but was never put in the hospital. He claimed that Abu Zar had received a ‘commission’ of 5 per cent, supervisor Maqbool Hussain of 21.2 per cent and supervisor Zahid of 11.4 per cent.

In another complaint it is alleged that Dr Shahid Ikram as district officer (Health) misappropriated Rs5 million. The complaint states that during 2009 to 2010, Dr Ikram received Rs3.6 million as ‘commission’ for the purchase of medicines worth Rs12 million. He also, the complaint said, misappropriated 16 per cent of the total amount as tax.

Young Welfare Society general secretary Nisar Ahmed accused government contractor Rana Tariq Mehmood, executive engineer of the Pakistan Public Works Department of misappropriating funds from the construction of the road from Baly Wala to Nandi Pur-Sialkot Road. The road was potted three months after being built due to the use of sub-standard materials. In the fourth complaint, Abdul Sattar accused patwari Malik Ayub of the Revenue Department of asking him for a bribe of Rs7,000. He further said that the patwari owned assets worth millions.

In the final forwarded reference, Muhammad Tufail said that Haroonabad TMO Akram Sansi took Rs24,000 from him as well as a commission on a tender worth Rs40 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2011.