KARACHI - Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has registered 72 FIRs, opened 209 inquiries and arrested 52 officers against the charges of corruption, embezzlement and misappropriation of government funds in two months.
This was disclosed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah by Chairman (ACE) Syed Mumtaz Shah at the CM House yesterday.
He said that the FIA and NAB have started sending inquiries of land, revenue and local government matters. "So far I have received more than 40 inquiries and have constituted a two- member committee to scrutinise and conduct thorough inquires so action could be taken accordingly,” he said.
The chief minister directed the chairman to take cases sent to him by FIA and NAB seriously and to take stern action. "It is a good omen that the federal agencies have started posing confidence into ACE," he said.
Giving details the chairman ACE said that from July 22, 2015 four raids were conducted in Karachi South in which three officials were arrested while four FIRs have been registered. Six FIRs have been registered n Karachi East while five accused were held. Two FIRs registered n West zone while 26 inquiries initiated and four persons have been arrested.
Four surprise visits were made in different departments in Hyderabad, he said. “Three raids were conducted while 17 FIRs were registered and 17 officers were arrested. He added that in Jamshoro 7 raids, nine FIRs were registered and 46 inquiries opened while eight officials of different grades were arrested.
Similarly, four surprise visits and seven raids were made in Mirpurkhas. As a result, eight FIRs were lodged and four officers were apprehended. In Shaheed Benazirabad eight surprise visits were made and two raids were conducted. In Sukkur five surprise visits were made and six raids were conducted, 13 FIRs were registered and 24 inquiries initiated and 9 officers were arrested.
The chairman said that in Larkana five raids were conducted, 13 FIRs were registered, 135 inquiries were opened and eight officers were arrested.
Giving details of the ACC-I held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Siddique Memon on August 19, some 82 cases were considered, of which 19 were approved for registration of FIRs, 36 for opening inquiries while 27 inquiries have been decided to be re-opened.
Referring to ACC-1 meeting held on August 24, Mumtaz Shah said 18 cases were considered, of which four were approved for registration of FIRs, six for opening inquiries and eight for re-inquiries.
Replying to a question Chairman ACE told the chief minister that on his directives commissioners have held five ACC-II meetings in which 37 matters of Karachi West, 50 of district Jamshoro, 14 of Shaheed Benazirabad, 14 of Sukkur and 213 of Larkana were decided.
"This shows that we had decided 328 cases of five districts which is itself a record," Shah said.
Replying to another question the chairman told the chief minister that most of inquires are against local government, education, health, Works & Services, Irrigation and Revenue departments.