Disciplinary action against environment officials

Investigation into another alleged Rs200m fraud underway.

LAHORE: The government has started disciplinary proceedings against six officials of the Environment Protection Department including its director general for embezzling Rs3.5 million, and may take further action on other corruption charges.

Acting on directions from Chief Minsiter Shahbaz Sharif, EPD Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana on September 12 appointed Punjab Ombudsman Secretary Farkhanda Wasim Afzal, a grade 21 officer of the District Management Group, to initiate disciplinary proceedings under Section 3 of the Punjab Employees Efficiency Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act of 2006, on charges of inefficiency, misconduct and corruption, according to documents available with The Express Tribune.

The accused have so far returned Rs3.2 million to the government. Hotiana has sent the case to the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) for forwarding to the Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE), which could register criminal cases against them.

The EPD secretary has also ordered an inquiry, to be conducted by Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Director Tauqeer Qureshi, into alleged embezzlement of Rs200 million by the same accused, including EPD Director General Dr Shagufta Shahjehan.

“The secretary assigned me the inquiry ... I have been trying to probe the embezzlement of Rs10 million per day and will soon complete it,” said Qureshi.

EPD Deputy Secretary (Administration) Saghir Baloch, who conducted the initial inquiry establishing that acts of corruption had been committed, said that the accused had prepared fake documents to claim rent from the government for labs in Gujranwala, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Murree and Rahim Yar Khan. He said Dr Shahjehan sanctioned the payment “knowing full well that the amounts were being withdrawn as double payments or unauthorised withdrawals”. Baloch said that the accused had admitted to wrongdoing and returned most of the money.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th,  2011.