Recovering embezzled money: Anti-corruption director pats own department on the back

Claims 2,700 complaints pending, cites staff and material shortage as impediments.

HARIPUR: Despite a manpower shortage and dearth of resources, the anti-corruption department is making all out efforts to implement the provincial government’s plan of purging corruption from society, claimed the department’s provincial director during a visit to Hazara division.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Ziaullah Khan Toru said the government’s commitment to ending the culture of corruption and embezzlement could be judged from the fact that the chief minister and chief secretary have issued special directives to the department for accelerating efforts in investigating corruption complaints and awarding exemplary punishments to corrupt officials.



Toru, who served in the National Accountability Bureau till last month, said the plethora of embezzlement complaints sitting at the department for years have been put on a fast track and in just May this year, 161 corrupt officials, including tehsildars, patwaris, and officers of grade 17-19 of various departments were brought to book.

He disclosed that during this period, his department has made a record recovery of Rs16.3 million that was embezzled by government officials, adding the recovered amount has been deposited with the government.

Citing his department’s biggest achievement, the director said their best case was the recovery of Rs7 million from the health department’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Peshawar. To a query, Toru said there are pending complaints regarding forests, agriculture, food and health departments in Hazara which were being probed and within a few days, guilty officials would be arrested.

He said 2,700 complaints were pending with the department at the moment and the officials were doing their best to dispose them as soon as possible.

He admitted that his department was facing a serious shortage of staff and resources which is delaying action against guilty officials.

“It’s difficult to produce the desired results when my police stations are running short of strength, without vehicles and fuel,” he said, adding he has taken up the matter with senior officials who have assured him that his department will be provided the necessary staff and equipment. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2014.