Daily Times

KARACHI: The elected representatives on Board of Directors (BoD) of Fisheries Cooperative Society (FCS) have appealed to Sindh Minister Fisheries and Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) to probe into the financial anomalies and mismanagement in FCS matters.

Secretary FCS in a letter to ACE and Board of Directors to Minister Jam Ikram Darejo have requested to probe against corrupt practices of Hafiz Abdul Berr, Chairman FCS besides abusing official powers and appointing officials without consent of Board members. He was appointed in Mach 2017.

BoD comprises eight government appointed nominees and seven private members for a period of three years, responsible to manage and look after the financial and administrative affairs of FCS besides working for the benefits of member fishermen.

In their letters, BoD has alleged that Berr has spent Rs 420 million on unknown projects, contracting cleaning and maintaining fish harbour job worth Rs 2.25 million per month to his favourite without approval of BoD and has also awarded sea food auction rights to one without floating tender.

The Chairman has given contract building of a trading site in harbour without seeking approval of BoD, as approval of BoD in such subjects was mandatory under FCS laid down by-laws, they alleged.

Berr is not a competent appointed official by the Fisheries Department as he was not acquainted with sea fishing matters, trade and even he was not a bureaucrat as well, they lamented.

Around 20 appointments in different cadre of services on political ground on an aggregate Rs 1.90 million has also been made in FCS in sheer violation of by-laws of the entity, BoD have informed.

They said that Chairman FCS was also denying rights of employees, dues and ignoring appointments on heirs’ quota as per agreement.

A cash withdrawal of Rs 21.30 million from bank account has also been made on unknown reason by him without intimating BoD, they asserted.

Bank withdrawal of other amounts on different pretexts amounting to Rs 210 million and Rs 67.34 million during August onwards has also depicted Berr’s financial corruption, they informed. He has also appointed six legal advisors without approval of BoD, they said.

Nisar Morai and Sami Khan, previous chiefs of FCS are being under probe by National Accountability Bureau and ACE for their financial corruptions to millions of rupee.

FCS was established in 1945, before partition of sub continent by Muhammad Mariwala, father of Abuzar Mariwala, current vice President of FCS.

Meanwhile, Saeed Baloch, Secretary FCS has vowed that legal action would be taken against Berr at any cost in order to purge the department from such dishonest person.

Published in Daily Times, October 25^th 2017.