In a major development in Tractor Subsidy scandal case, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi arrested three accused people in the case, and presented them before the Accountability Court Islamabad on Wednesday.
Executive engineer in Sindh Food Department Aftab Ahmed along with two tractor dealers Ghulam Sarwar and Tara Chand were the accused arrested.
The three in connivance with Omni Group and Orient Company earned millions of rupees in subsidy for the farmers. The accused used the national identity cards of the farmers to get the subsidy and made corruption through fake documents and accounts.
The accused released the tractors in the name of fake farmers and sold them at market rate in other provinces. The accused were presented before the Accountability Court, which granted a 14-day remand.
As per the details, the Government of Sindh launched four different subsidy schemes in the year 2013 to 2016 (Phase-III) for providing subsidized tractors to farmers in Sindh through Agriculture Engineering and Water Management in Hyderabad.
Under the said schemes, M/s Orient Automotive Industries (Pvt) Ltd a holding company of OMNI Group, provided 2,993 tractors and received Rs.793.5 Million, from the Government of Sindh as subsidy. However, later an Investigation was authorized on the directions of Honourable Supreme Court in fake accounts cases by the competent authority on 18.09.2020 under National Accountability Ordinance 1999 which is under progress in NAB Rawalpindi office.
The investigation revealed that OMNI group and the corrupt officials of Agriculture Engineering Department of Government of Sindh, in connivance with M/s Orient Automotive Industries (Pvt) Ltd, its Directors, employees and authorized tractor dealers malafidely issued fake delivery of tractors in the name of fake farmers, attached bogus land ownership documents and made fake photo sessions demonstrating to have delivered the tractors to the successful farmer, in the Workshops of Agriculture Department of Sindh.
This collusion of government officials with the accused company resulted in the issuance of claim subsidy amount for the delivered Tractors, which the accused company in connivance with the Tractor Dealers sold within and out of Sindh Province on profits.
The accused Engineers of Agriculture Department have illegally signed on more than 550 fake delivery orders of tractors in the name of fake farmers, causing loss of Millions of rupees to the National Exchequer.
The investigation also revealed that the accused persons have sold the tractors meant for the farmers of Sindh, to people residing in other provinces and claimed subsidy on the basis of fake documents. They received and laundered the crime proceeds in their different bank accounts which were from the tractors dealers belonging to other provinces.
The arrested Dealer Ghulam Sarwar have illegally received more than 450 tractors (Brand:- IMT) whereas the accused Tara Chand received more than 250 tractors (Brand:- IMT), from the agriculture department in connivance with its officials in the name of fake farmers and sold the tractors in open market at profit by causing loss of approximately Rs.112.5 Million and Rs.62.5 Million to the National Exchequer, respectively.
The subsidy granted for various tractors schemes is in Billions and Investigation is in progress to acquire further evidence in the case.