Rental income: Plea filed against postal workers who sublet govt flats

FIA cell launches investigation.

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Post Office director-general (DG) has filed a complaint to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding the unauthorised subletting of 34 government flats in the Pakistan Post Office residential colony in Islamabad by staffers.

This “fraudulent act” has caused a loss of Rs400 million to the national exchequer in the shape of receiving illegal rent by unauthorised persons for the last few years, the Pakistan Post claimed. According to the documents available with the Express Investigation Cell, the deputy director-general  of Pakistan Post directorate, Badar Zaman, on behalf of the Pakistan Post Office DG, informed the DG FIA in a written complaint that during a recent monthly review, the administration pointed out that some staff members had rented out government flats. This caused a loss to the national exchequer and also deprived the eligible and deserving staff on the waiting list.

These 34 flats have not been subleased for a few days. Rather they have been rented out for the past many years. If this practice does not end, then the whole colony will be rented out, defeating the welfare objective of the government to facilitate the low-paid employees, deputy DG Zaman argued.

Therefore, an investigation should be initiated to establish the criminal acts and submit challans to the relevant court for appropriate action under the law, he maintained.

Consequently, the FIA DG forwarded this complaint to the FIA Islamabad director for further legal action.

When contacted, FIA director Capt (retd) Zafar Iqbal Awan confirmed the report and said that after receiving the complaint, an investigation is being launched through the Anti-Corruption Cell to probe the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2014.