Corruption suspicion: Seven EPD officials suspended

Evidence of purchase of equipment, payment of rents lacking, Monitoring and Evaluation Cell report points out.

LAHORE:

Seven officials of the Environment Protection Department have been suspended from services on charges of embezzlement of funds and purchase of defective equipment for setting up six sampling and analysis laboratories, The Express Tribune has learnt.

EPD Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hottiana said suspension orders were issued on Monday.  However, he said, an inquiry committee consisting of officials of the EPD and the Monitoring & Evaluation Cell of the Planning and Development Department was still investigating the matter so he could not comment on the matter.

The suspended officials are suspected of having embezzled Rs7.3 million of the Rs169 million allocated for the project in 2007.

The officials also spent Rs9.89 million in rents for sites identified for the laboratories in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Murree, Faisalabad and Rahim Yar Khan. These sites were acquired 23 months ahead of the purchase of equipment for the laboratories. Equipment worth Rs14.99 million was found lying useless for two years because of missing spare parts. No equipment had been bought for Rs16.99 million shown in papers as expenditure on purchase of lab equipment. Air samplers bought for Rs13.91 million were incompatible with other equipment at the laboratories.

Sources close to the inquiry told The Tribune that record of purchase of equipment and rental agreements was forged to misappropriate funds. They said the inquiry report would be available and a decision reached in the matter in 15 to 20 days.  The suspended officials are project in charge Aamir Farooq, research officer Farooq Alam, Sheikhupura district officer (Environment) Saleem Pal, assistant director (Implementation) Shafqat Farooqi, Faisalabad district officer (Environment) Javed Ahmed and EPD cashiers Muhammad Zaheer Khan and Muhammad Arshad.

Talking to The Tribune, Faisalabad DO (Environment) Ahmed said charges were levelled against him after he had written a letter to the EPD secretary and the chief minister pointing out the scam and exposing the officials involved in it. Research officer Farooq Alam said Ahmed had accused him and his other colleagues because he held them responsible for his demotion.

Project in charge Farooq said he was unaware of his suspension orders. He said he had not been in Lahore.

Sialkot DO (Environment) Pal said he was unaware of the reasons for his suspension. He said he would be in a position to comment once the EPD informed him of the charges against him.

Cashiers Muhammad Zaheer and Muhammad Arshad declined comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2011.