Daily Times

Despite the negligence of senior administrative officers, the cycle of financial misconduct within the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) remains unchecked, and those involved in corruption appear successful in furthering their dishonest practices. According to the audit report of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore, the Fire Brigade Department incurred a loss of 4.9 million rupees to the public exchequer by registering fictitious purchases of store items. These items include uniforms, shoes, raincoats, various types of chemicals, long shoes, iron safes, safety helmets, furniture, file covers, reflectors, and other goods.

The bills were forged with fake signatures of Bill Clerk Muhammad Shabbir and Storekeeper Azmat Ali. During the inquiry, both employees informed the audit team that the signatures on the bills were not theirs. They submitted written statements, signature samples, and copies of their identification cards as evidence.

When the audit team conducted a physical verification of the fire stations, they discovered that no store items had been received or delivered at the stations. The concerned staff also recorded their statements in writing.

A fake stock register had been prepared where stock entries were made without any distribution. In the stock register, some items were falsely recorded using the same pencil and written by the same hand. All officers had already provided written statements affirming that nothing had been received in the past 3 to 5 years.

The audit team has recommended sending the case for criminal proceedings to the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Lahore, and has also advised action against the involved officers under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline, and Accountability (PEDA) Act of 2006.