Accountability suffers as ACE remains ineffective
It appears that the Sindh government’s alleged negligence has rendered the AntiCorruption Establishment (ACE) and the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) practically ineffective and dysfunctional.
The two institutions had been set up in a bid to curb corruption within government departments under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. Although the Anti-Corruption Establishment is administratively a large body with a districtwide structure and thousands of employees, growing corruption at hands of government officials across tens of departments suggests that ACE has failed in fulfilling its purpose.
The primary reason for the department’s failure is said to be its subordination to the Government of Sindh. Despite being an accountability body, the department does not have a completely autonomous status and operates under the influence of the provincial government.
Owing to this, oftentimes, the department is unable to take action against government employees involved in various forms of corruption due to legal complications.
In theory, the ACE committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, has the power to take action against corruption cases involving officers above grade 17.
However, the committee has failed to do the needful, which includes issuing recommendations based on which inquiries leading to accountability can be made. Per allegations against the committee, despite being spearheaded by the chief secretary, its meetings tend to be rather sporadic and conducted with great delay.
“At most, the committee passes recommendations for investigations against officials involved in corruption. However, it takes several years before any ACE investigation is completed and those responsible are challenged in a court of law,” informed a source privy to the case. For instance, the latest meeting of the AntiCorruption Committee No. 1 was chaired by soon-to-retire Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah.
However, the committee merely approved an investigation into more than 30 officials involved in corruption, including an investigation against the former director of schools for Mirpur Khas Wahab Abbasi.
Read More: Role of accountability in good governance
The anti-corruption department had also investigated some of the officers and obtained evidence of their involvement in corruption and malpractices and recommended that a first information report (FIR) be registered against them. The anti-corruption committee, instead of approving the filing of a case against involved officers, ordered a re-investigation.
Former Sindh ACE officer Mohkimud Din believes that the lack of action against officers involved in corruption and malpractice, despite securing evidence, discourages honest officers of the department who work hard to secure said evidence. “The same is true for the anti-corruption committees set up by the secretaries of the departments.
Meetings of these committees also do take place with several delays,” he expressed. According to Provincial Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, the delay in the meetings of the anti-corruption committees has been linked to the busy schedule of the Chief Secretary and the concerned secretaries.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Inspection and Inquiries Team has also been inactive for quite some time. It should be noted that not too long ago, the body was granted the status of a provincial department by the Sindh government. However, this department is said to be suffering from various administrative problems, including core posts like the department’s chairperson remaining vacant.
It is further alleged that several inquiries with the provincial department have been sitting without any visible progress. Speaking in regard to CMIT’s lacklustre performance, Sind Chief Minister’s Special Assistant Waqar Mehdi said that the post of the department’s chairperson had become vacant due to the transfer of the former Chairman Naveed Sheikh to the Federal Government.
According to him, one of the reasons for the delay in the appointment of an officer to the said post is that the said post is of grade 21, and the Sindh government has a shortage of officers of said rank. This has prompted the provincial government to look out for resources from the federal government.
“However, I am confident that a senior officer will be appointed as chairperson of the CM’s Inquiries Inspection and Inquiries Team soon,” he told The Express Tribune offering a sliver of hope for the sinking department.