After verification of the complaint in November, a proper inquiry was launched in December. PHOTO: EXPRESS
FAISALABAD: While taking notice of a corruption scandal, Anti-Corruption Establishment Director General Munazar Ali Ranja has ordered the arrest of accused who were involved in auctioning land of the Punjab Liquidation Board through fictitious process.
The accused involved in the scam included former chairman of the board Farooq Maan, former board secretary Imtiaz Ahmad, Additional Secretary Khawaja Riaz Ahmad, Under Secretary Syed Zainul Abideen, Niagra Mills chief executive Imran Ahmad, Elite Home Fashion chief executive Abdul Hafeez Shiekh, Chaudhry Bahadar Ali and others.
However, accused Bahadar Ali has reportedly been arrested from Lasani Town by the special team of anti-corruption headed by Rana Arshad. Officials told The Express Tribune the anti-corruption department has registered a case against the accused in 2014 on the allegation of transferring land comprising 26 kanal 18 marlas of the Punjab Liquidation Board through a bogus auction process.
They said the Punjab Liquidation Board had given an auction notice of this land in a newspaper and a local industrialist Imran Masood purchased this land, being the highest bidder, against an impound of Rs275.1 million. Imran Masood was required to make 25% payment of the total amount in a week while the rest of the amount had to be paid within a month.
However, the land was transferred in the name of Imran Masood without depositing the full payment by the accused officer of the Punjab Liquidation Board.
The officials maintained the accused officers caused a huge loss to the Punjab Liquidation Board by fixing a land price of just Rs275.1 million whereas, its official price was Rs492.5 million.
Likewise, they pointed out the accused officials of the Punjab Liquidation Board without depositing the total amount of the land, transferred it in the name of Imran Masood. Besides this, various fees, including stamp fee, registration fee and tax fee was also not charged from the bidder, they said.
They said the land is situated in the heart of the city and Punjab Liquidation Board could have fetched more than Rs600 million if it was auctioned in a transparent manner.
Investigation of the case was conducted by five officials, including Anti-Corruption Deputy Director Kazam Ali Awan, Rai Wajid Ali, Babar Rehman Warriach, and Tanveer Amjad. Later, the accused got the case transferred to Lahore Anti-Corruption Headquarter and it was reinvestigated by deputy director Aftab Rasool Tarrar and Inspector Zaem Khalil.
After a thorough investigation, the allegations of fake auction of land of Punjab Liquidation Board, was established but none of the accused were formally arrested and case for their trial was not submitted by the anti-corruption department.
Taking cognizance of the case, the anti-corruption DG issued orders to arrest the accused involved in the scam and instructed the officials to submit the challan before the anti-corruption court.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2017.
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