Probe findings: FIA officials suspended for extorting millions

Two businessmen alleged that the agency’s officials threatened to falsely implicate them in a scandal.

LAHORE:

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials have been found involved in extorting huge amounts of cash from businessmen in Karachi, sources and documents have revealed.

The FIA suspended three officials of the Crime Circle-II after allegations against them proved to be correct in an inquiry conducted by the FIA Karachi additional director immigration on the direction of the FIA Director General Saud Mirza.

Mehar Haroon Rasheed Raisani, a businessman, had alleged that an FIA Crime Branch Sub Inspector Muhammad Tahir Gujjar and his colleagues, Sub Inspector Adnan Dilawar and Sub Inspector Rahat Khan, had extorted an amount of Rs10.5 million from him and his business partner Mian Muhammad Tariq through Abdul Karim Daudpota and Khalid Hussain.

Raisani had informed the DG that the amount was paid in two instalments – Rs5 million followed by Rs5.5-million – which had been withdrawn from UBL, FTC Branch, in two days and handed over to Daudpota.



The complainant, in his application, had said the FIA officials had threatened to falsely implicate them in a multibillion rupees Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) scandal and had used three FIRs registered with the FIA Crime Circle Police Station to extort money from him.

The FIA officers were conducting an inquiry into fraudulent transfer and misappropriation and embezzlement in the TDAP, where certain businessmen had misused the 25% freight subsidy scheme announced by the government of Pakistan to promote export

It is pertinent to note that the names of Mehar Haroon Rasheed Raisani and Mian Muhammad Tariq were mentioned nowhere in the TDAP inquiry or the FIRs.

On the direction of the DG FIA, the FIA Additional Director Immigration Karachi conducted inquiry against three sub inspector of the FIA Crime Circle Karachi – Muhammad Tahir Gujjar, Adnan Dilawar and Rahat Khan.

After the inquiry, these FIA officials were suspended as they were found guilty in connection with extorting money from the applicants and having close links with the key accused officials of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) involved in multi-billion-rupee scandal

The Call Data Record of the Sub Inspector Muhammad Tahir Gujjar shows the frequent contacts with Abdul Karim Daudpota and some other senior functionaries of the TDAP – who are wanted by the FIA in multi-billion-rupees cases but still at large because of the malafide role of the suspended FIA officials.

The contents of the letter reveal that these three sub inspectors have been placed under suspension with immediate effect.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2013.