Minister suspends officials for graft, faces similar charges

Housing minister suspended officials in his ministry following reports of alleged corruption.

ISLAMABAD:

The housing minister on Saturday suspended officials in his ministry following reports of alleged corruption, but faced similar charges of graft by a fellow lawmaker, levelled during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Federal Minister for Housing and Works Faisal Saleh Hayat suspended three officials for allegedly causing a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer and ordered inquiries into ongoing projects of the ministry.

The suspensions follow reports of embezzlement by contractors in development projects undertaken by the ministry.

According to the report, fiscal misconduct was reported in two projects initiated by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MNA Riaz Fatyana in his constituency.

Acting Secretary Housing and Works MB Awan issued suspension orders for chief engineer Lahore Mian Masood Akhtar and executive engineers Fayyaz Muhammad and Rana Saleem Akhtar of the Public Works Department (PWD) for manipulating the bidding process.

Fatyana, however, denied the allegations leveled against him, terming them ‘fictitious.

He submitted a privilege motion in the National Assembly and filed a defamation suit of Rs5 billion against Hayat, Awan and the resident editor of the paper that published the initial report.

Allegations against Hayat

Fatyana also leveled corruption allegations against Hayat at the PAC meeting on Saturday, prompting the PAC to seek a report from acting secretary housing and works.

Fatyana alleged that since taking charge, Hayat has been transferring people by taking up to Rs5 million in bribes. He told the PAC that Hayat sent a requisition for appointment of MB Awan, who had been dismissed from service on corruption charges, as secretary of his ministry.

“It is true that I had been dismissed but the relevant court has reinstated me with dignity,” replied Awan.

Fatyana also alleged that the housing minister spent Rs11.2 million on renovation of his office without tendering the work. After the PAC meeting,  he demanded the government to constitute a special committee to investigate Hayat’s corruption.

Despite repeated attempts, the housing minister did not comment on the story.

Rangers’ deployment

The PAC also objected to the deployment of Rangers personnel on security of private persons and non-entitled officers and directed the secretary interior to withdraw all such facility within a month.

Committee members expressed serious concern over the paramilitary force’s deployment without the permission of concerned provincial governments and questioned why an institutional force was being used as ‘watchman.’

Secretary Interior Qamar Zamaan told the PAC that the Rangers were deployed for the security of those persons who have been receiving life threats.

With additional input from APP

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2011.