CDA judicial commission: Probe team gets more time, but not money

Duration to probe into alleged misappropriations extended to March 31 .

ISLAMABAD:

A judicial commission set up to probe alleged corruption in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed to complete its finding in the stipulated three-months and is seeking more time. The Islamabad High Court (IHC), it has been learnt, agreed to grant it.

IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqi had constituted the three-member commission last November in response to identical petitions against the civic agency alleging corrupt practices. The commission --- headed by former Supreme Court judge Sardar Raza Khan --- was supposed to submit its findings before Justice Siddiqui within three months. However, the commission could not complete its finding when the deadline expired on February 17, 2013.

An official attached to the commission told The Express Tribune that on February 17, the commission had requested more time to complete its findings, which the court accepted. It is noted that the commission was supposed to scrutinise over two dozen controversial projects including the allotment of land for Centaurus, Park Towers and Margalla Tower, the LED streetlight project, the Kuri Model village scam, plot allotments at prime locations like Rawal Dam, Saidpur Model village, the Gun and Country Club, the diplomatic enclave shuttle service, D-12 extension and work in Sector E-11, allotment of plots reserved for school, agro-farm allotments and the Arts and Craft village scandal.

There are over 600 cases related to the CDA pending with the IHC, along with 837 civil cases pending in district courts alleging corruption and misappropriation. Commission Secretary Abdul Qadir Memon confirmed that the court has extended its deadline till March 31. He admitted that due to the raw number of cases, the commission could not complete its finding in three months. “So far, 120 witnesses have recorded their statements before the commission and 80 per cent of the work has been done,” he added. Memon hoped that the commission would complete its findings by March 31, adding that most big projects had been reviewed and only a few housing societies and smaller projects remained.

When asked about the salaries paid to the commission members, Memon said that on the direction of the court, Rs3 million had been paid by the CDA to the head of the commission for three months, while the other two judges had received Rs1 million each for the same tenure. “After extending the deadline, the CDA is not liable to pay the commission any additional amount,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2013.