Official arrested for taking bribes

RAWALPINDI:

A district town officer was arrested on Tuesday after a cheque he had given to a contractor for an anti-dengue drive was dishonoured at the bank. Rawalpindi Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has booked Aijaz Ahmed, a town officer of the Rawalpindi district council, for corruption charges. Amir Mehboob, a retired official of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), complained to the ACU that after retiring, he was working as a government contractor with the Army Aviation and PAF for the past three years. He added that to obtain a contract for the anti-dengue drive in the district, the suspect had taken Rs453,000 in kickbacks. However, when Mehboob demanded legal documents to confirm whether the deal had gone through, Ahmed refused to hand them over and started making excuses. At this, Mehboob demanded that Ahmed return his money. The district official agreed and even signed an affidavit in the presence of witnesses, handing over a cheque for the sum to the contractor. However, when Mehboob went to cash the cheque, it bounced at the teller’s window. Realising that he had been double-crossed, the victim complained to the Rawalpindi ACU. ACU Investigation Officer Zahid Zahoor confirmed the case and arrest, adding that further investigations are underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2020.