7 held in Rs1b FWMC Suthra Punjab scam

Inquiry uncovers fake attendance, inflated records and ghost payroll system

FAISALABAD:

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has arrested seven officials, including a former managing director of the Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC), after registering a case over alleged financial irregularities and causing a loss of around Rs1 billion to the national exchequer under the Suthra Punjab Programme.

The action was initiated after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif received a complaint alleging manipulation of digital records, fake attendance entries and embezzlement of public funds in Faisalabad's sanitation operations. Following the complaint, Director General Anti-Corruption Punjab Sohail Zafar Chattha ordered an inquiry into the matter.

During a crackdown in Faisalabad, the anti-corruption department arrested former FWMC chief executive officer Muhammad Rauf, Manager Operations Abdullah Nazir Bajwa, District Manager Operations Hafiz Tayyab, contractor Rai Qamaruz Zaman, Manager Procurement Waqar Asghar and two other employees before shifting them to Lahore for further investigation.

Investigators alleged that FWMC officials and representatives of Care Services Consortium colluded during sanitation operations carried out in 2024 under the Suthra Punjab Programme, resulting in heavy financial losses to the government.

The inquiry further revealed that the accused allegedly inflated operational figures and misused funds through fraudulent practices.

According to investigators, 2,317 waste containers were shown in official records instead of the actual 1,717 containers. Similarly, authorities claimed that loader rickshaws were falsely presented as mini dumpers in official documentation.

The inquiry also found that salaries of 633 "ghost employees" were allegedly drawn from the public treasury, while only 33 waste enclosures were found on the ground against 118 claimed in records.

Officials further alleged that the accused continued receiving salaries for non-existent workers while also committing irregularities in payments to sanitation staff working in the field.

Other individuals named in the case include IT Manager Asad Elahi, Finance Manager Ahsan Nadeem, Transport Officer Arshad Saleem Ansari, sanitary inspectors Abid, Shafiq and Qaiser Khan, along with contractor Farooq Khan.

They have been accused of causing losses to the public exchequer through misrepresentation and fraudulent practices.

Following the registration of the case, the Anti-Corruption Establishment launched a high-level investigation into the alleged corruption.

Meanwhile, DG Anti-Corruption Punjab Sohail Zafar Chattha constituted a special investigation team comprising Deputy Director Admin Nisar Ahmed Joiya, Deputy Director Vigilance Zawar Manzoor, Deputy Director Vigilance Muhammad Ahmed, Assistant Director Admin and Assistant Director Vigilance Zaigham Khalil to probe the case further and determine the extent of financial losses and departmental involvement.