SIDA officer refutes embezzlement charges
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The Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) officer, Shakeela Laghari, accused of embezzling Rs41 million funds and for making false sexual harassment charges, by the board of SIDA, has termed departmental inquiries in both matters as partisan. “It was a one-sided, false decision,” she stated while referring to the decision of the 58th meeting of SIDA’s board which was held on Thursday.
She told The Express Tribune that her designation is sociologist and she has no signatory authority to release funds under the head of compensation to the people whose residential and commercial structures were demolished as part of an anti-encroachment action.
Read: NAB files reference in Rs1,098m embezzlement case
“The executive engineer of Akram Canal had the DDO power and he was the signatory while SIDA Managing Director, Preetam Das, had approved the compensations for the affected people,” she added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2024.