Transfer of property: Corruption at Karachi’s registrar offices
18 registrar offices in Karachi have allegedly been receiving bribes on each and every property registration.
Transparency International (TI) Pakistan has revealed it has been receiving complaints against 18 registrar offices in Karachi, who have allegedly been receiving a bribe of Rs20,000 to Rs500,000 on each and every property registration.
“A recent report in a newspaper also indicated an allegation by a citizen that one Rafiq Gopnag of Gulshan-3 demanded from him a bribe of Rs200,000 for registration of purchase of his house,” a TI’s letter, addressed to Sindh chief secretary, says.
It says over one hundred properties are sold or purchased daily in each district, and on an average Rs30,000 bribe is taken on each transaction making the daily bribe to be around Rs5 crores.
The TI calls them serious accusations and calls upon the chief secretary to curb this illegal practice ‘through which citizens of Karachi are blackmailed to pay annual bribe of Rs1.5 billion.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2014.