Corruption charges: Sindh govt serves show-cause notices to 563 officials

Officers had accepted embezzlement charges and returned the money to NAB

KARACHI: The Sindh government has served show-cause notices to around 563 officers who voluntarily returned embezzled money to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The decision comes after the Supreme Court (SC) revoked NAB's voluntary return powers and asked the provincial government to submit a report by November 15 regarding the officers who returned the embezzled money. The Sindh government has already submitted the list to the SC.

Deputy commissioners of Jacobabad and Mirpurkhas, Agha Shahnawaz and Syed Medhi Shah, who is the brother-in-law of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Textbook Board secretary Qadir Bux Rind along with 120 education department officers, 16 town municipal officers [TMOs] and about 50 local government officers have been served notices, said an official, requesting anonymity.

"The CM is reviewing the matter. He has asked us to wait for a few days. It is the CM's prerogative whether to sack these officers or not," said an official of the services, general administration and coordination department.

The show-cause notices issued to these officers read: "You are alleged to have committed an act of misconduct under Section 3 of the Sindh Government Ordinance, 2000 [which pertains to removal from services]".

An official remarked that, "The government has started consultation with law and constitutional experts about the fate of these officers".

According to reports, hundreds of fake appointment orders were issued by the education department and TMOs during the last tenure of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government. When NAB started its probe into the appointments, it was revealed that many officials were involved in embezzling funds. During the investigation, these officers accepted corruption charges and returned the embezzled momey to NAB.

Some of these officials include former deputy commissioner Sohail Adeeb Bachani, additional secretary of rehabilitation Niaz Hussain Chachar and ex-land acquisition officer Kazi Mushtaq. These officers were arrested by NAB in November, 2015 on allegations of embezzling Rs100 million. When asked about the show-cause notices, information adviser Maula Bux Chandio gave a vague response and remarked that the government will obey the SC orders.

Implementation and coordination secretary Niaz Abbasi said that after the court orders against voluntary return they have also asked different departments to provide lists of other employees so that action against them can be taken.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2016.