Daily Times

KARACHI: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) during the last four months has registered 97 FIRs and arrested 110 officials of different departments against charges of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. This was disclosed by Anti-Corruption Establishment Chairman Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah while briefing Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at CM House on Friday, said a statement.

Chief Secretary Siddique Memon and Principal Secretary Alamuddin Bullo attended the meeting. He said that during the last four months, from January to April, the Anti-Corruption Establishment has arrested 110 officials of 21 different provincial departments and registered 97 FIRs against them. “The investigation officers of the Anti-Corruption Establishment have submitted 83 challans in the courts, out of them four have been convicted and the cases of other officials are in progress in the concerned courts. While giving department-wise details, the Anti-Corruption Establishment chairman said out of 97 FIR, 18 have been registered against the officials of Revenue Department, 17 against food, 16 against education, 15 against Home Department, 10 against local government, six against health, two against works, two against PHE and two against registration, one each against irrigation, zakat, live stock and fisheries, one against university, one for safety commission, one for law and one against slums. The Sindh chief minister said that there should be a proper check against the government departments where public works suffer due to red tapes. This is also hampering the performance of the government. Syed Mumtaz Shah while talking about arrests said that 30 persons of Revenue Department have been arrested, 11 of Home Department, nine of local government, 22 of education, two of irrigation, five of food, four of Excise, one of agriculture, five of health, one of works, one of zakat, two of fisheries, one of cooperatives, one of forest, one of population, four of public health education, one of law, five registration, two of universities, one of S&GAD, one of slums.

He said that apart from the arrests and FIRs, the Anti-Corruption Establishment has opened 446 inquiries of corruption, out of them 137 of revenue, 72 of home, 41 local government, 54 education, 36 irrigation, 18 food, seven agriculture, 15 health, 25 works and services, three of finance, three of zakat, three of livestock, one of women development, four cooperatives, four forest, seven public health engineering, three registration, two industries, one civil defence, two labour, one safety commission, one S&GAD, one sports, three of slums, one culture and one of Sindh Text Book Board.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment chairman said that his department has conducted 51 raids. The Sindh chief minister CM said that he has given all the required facilities such as ambulances, bike and other necessary equipments to anti-corruption establishment. The CM lauded the efforts of the anti-corruption establishment, which has improved its image through better performance.